Last week, Spokane-area legislators joined community members and University leaders, including President Ana Mari Cauce, to celebrate the expansion of the UW School of Dentistry’s Regional Initiatives in Dental Education (RIDE) program, which was funded by the state this past legislative session.
The RIDE program aims to develop dentists who are committed to practicing in Washington’s rural and underserved communities. The innovative training model immerses students in community-based clinics to gain valuable field experience while also providing high quality dental care to areas with access to care challenges. RIDE has proven successful with more than 70% of graduates returning to rural and underserved communities in Washington and the region. This is notable given the national rate of DDS graduates practicing in these communities hovers below 10%.
Currently, RIDE students spend their first year of dental school at Eastern Washington University in Spokane and complete two clinical rotations at Community Health Centers in central and eastern Washington. To meet rising demand from students and local communities, the UW received funding to increase the number of dental students trained from 32 to 64 (from 8 to 16 per cohort) and by adding a second year of curriculum to the educational program in Spokane.
Critical supporters of the RIDE expansion in Olympia, Sen. Andy Billig and Reps. Marcus Riccelli and Joe Schmick joined the celebration and spoke to those gathered about their gratitude for the program, excitement for its growth, and the need for high quality dental care providers in eastern Washington. They also took the opportunity to connect with current RIDE students to learn about their experiences in the program and goals for the future.
Thank you, Sen. Billig and Reps. Riccelli and Schmick, for joining the event and helping to secure funding in the supplemental operating budget for this important and impactful program.
Pictures – Top Left: Rep. Marcus Riccelli with RIDE students Rafael Urrutia and Jodi Signer; Top Right: Rep. Joe Schmick; Bottom: Sen. Andy Billig.