Durbin Tours Site Of OSF Healthcare’s Outpatient Dental Clinic In Peoria

Durbin Tours Site Of OSF Healthcare's Outpatient Dental Clinic In Peoria

The dental clinic, made possible by a $2 million earmark secured by Durbin, will be the only dental sedation clinic in Central Illinois serving Medicaid patients

PEORIA - U.S. Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL) today visited OSF HealthCare in Peoria to tour the site that will soon be converted into a dental sedation clinic, allowing patients in Central Illinois to receive oral surgery without traveling across the state. Made possible by a $2 million earmark secured by Durbin in the Fiscal Year 2026 government funding bill, the renovated clinic will focus on providing care to underserved children and adults, many of whom rely on Medicaid to access dental care.

Illinois is facing a shortage of dentists who accept Medicaid despite 3.4 million Illinoisans relying on the program for health insurance coverage. Less than one-quarter of dentists in the state routinely accept Medicaid, resulting in lengthy waitlists that prevent Illinoisans from receiving timely treatment or routine preventive care. Congressional Republicans' disastrous $1 trillion in cuts to Medicaid through the so-called One Big Beautiful Bill Act will only make these waitlists longer and prevent more Illinoisans from seeking the dental care they need.

In total, there are about 8,500 dentists in Illinois, which is a gap of nearly 400 dentists to adequately serve the more than two million people in Illinois who live in areas without easy access to dentists. There are nine counties in Illinois that have only one dentist to serve their community.

"If you've ever experienced the pain of a toothache, you know that oral health care is not a luxury, it is essential. That's why the work done at OSF HealthCare is so important," Durbin said. "This new outpatient dental clinic will serve Central Illinois, focusing on providing care to underserved children and adults who have difficulty accessing dental care-many of whom are uninsured or rely on Medicaid. I was honored to play a part in securing $2 million in federal funding to help expand access to dental care in Illinois."

"Oral health care is critically important and is limited for pediatrics, especially for children from lower income families. This appropriation will make such an incredible difference in terms of expanding programs and procedural space. Currently, a child or an adult would have to wait nine months or longer for a procedure that requires sedation. With this appropriation and the expansion that we will be implementing that will be reduced to one week, maybe less," said Mike Wells, President of OSF HealthCare Saint Francis Medical Center. "We thank Sen. Durbin for listening to the needs of our communities and for helping OSF HealthCare provide a positive impact for some of the most vulnerable populations we serve."

Photos from the event are available here.

Good oral health is essential to overall health and well-being, helping to avoid pain and infections and reduce the risk of chronic diseases-including cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. While most oral health conditions are preventable and can be treated in early stage, more than 50 percent of children and more than 25 percent of adults in the U.S. have cavities, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Additionally, nearly 50 percent of children and adults have periodontitis.

Nearly 70 million Americans do not have dental insurance - more than twice the number of Americans who do not have medical insurance. Compounding the problem, 64 million Americans lack access to a dentist or other oral health professionals and live in a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area. Without access to insurance and preventative care, too many Americans are forced to visit the emergency room for dental emergencies, driving up health care costs.

In March, Durbin introduced the Promoting Dental Health Act to bolster access to dental care professionals. The legislation would reauthorize funding CDC's Oral Health program for the next five years. The CDC's Oral Health program receives $20.25 million in annual funding for a range of public health activities to promote oral health. This includes funding 15 states to prevent cavities, gum disease, and other painful and serious conditions through dental education, data collection, school-based sealant care for low-income children, workforce development, and research into gaps in patient care. Currently, Illinois is unfunded by the CDC's program and has not received a grant in two decades because the Oral Health program, which has not been reauthorized in a decade, is not adequately funded to serve every state.

Durbin also authored a provision in the American Rescue Plan to invest $1 billion into the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), which funds scholarships and loan repayment for new doctors, nurses, dentists, and behavioral health clinicians who commit to serve in rural and urban areas of need. Medical professionals can graduate with student debt of more than $200,000, which can discourage them from pursuing these careers in the first place, or lead to them choosing to practice in high-paying specialties or in more affluent and urban areas. The NHSC program helps build the pipeline of new health providers and surge them to shortage areas. Today, Illinois has nearly 900 health professionals serving under the NHSC program.

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