Mobile-Portable Hybrid Apple Tree Dental

a. What locations, facilities and populations are served?

Apple Tree Dental operates four programs, one in the Minneapolis/St. Paul Twin Cities area, the second in Hawley, Minnesota near Fargo, North Dakota, the third in Madelia, Minnesota near Mankato and recently started a mobile program in Rochester, Minnesota. The Twin Cities and Hawley programs have centralized clinics that provide outpatient services to low-income families and children, persons with disabilities and the frail elderly; 75% of the patients are Medicaid enrollees. The clinics have much larger than usual treatment rooms designed to accommodate people in wheelchairs, gerichairs and stretchers who are unable to transfer into dental chairs. In addition, the clinics are the "home base" for delivery of mobile care to satellite offices set up in long-term care centers, schools, group homes or Head Start centers. The clinics include office space for support staff and a heated garage where the Apple Tree Mobile Dental Offices are stored and maintained.

The amount of space needed to set up the mobile office is twelve feet by twelve feet of usable space. Since the units are self-contained, the only other necessities are two electrical outlets and a sink. The sink is needed to operate an ultrasonic cleaner for instruments. Waterless hand cleaners are supplied in the mobile offices in case there is not a sink available in the treatment room.