Apple Tree Dental celebrates grand opening in Little Falls
17 Mar 2023
New Business, Business, Economic Development, Grand Opening, Healthcare, Community
Apple Tree Dental announced the grand opening event for the new Little Falls Center for Dental Health, located within CHI St. Gabriel’s Hospital in Little Falls.
The grand opening is set for Tuesday, March 21, starting at noon. It will feature a ribbon cutting, and tours of the clinic. The community is invited to attend the event at 808 Third St. SE, in the Franciscan and Lindbergh conference rooms.
Apple Tree Dental, which was co-founded in 1985 by Michael Helgeson, DDS, and three colleagues, first opened the Little Falls Center for Dental Health as an outreach clinic using customized dental equipment on wheels. Apple Tree’s mobile dental offices were designed to be brought to outreach locations, including nursing homes, assisted living centers, and Head Start centers, to be used for on-site care by the organization’s specialized clinicians.
The Little Falls Center was launched in 2016, and over the next few years, plans to build a permanent new clinic were underway. The COVID-19 pandemic put fundraising efforts and construction plans on hold, but with generous funding from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation, the Otto Bremer Trust, and South Country Health Alliance, a new permanent clinic has been built.
Additional support has been provided by A-dec, Central Lakes College, CHI St. Gabriel’s Hospital, the Minnesota Dental Foundation, the Minnesota Department of Health, Morrison County, Morrison County Public Health, the National Children’s Oral Health Foundation, Patterson Dental, Primus Dental, and Sourcewell.
“We really wouldn’t have been able to build the new Little Falls Center without some amazing support,” said Mary Larkin, Apple Tree’s Development and Marketing Director. “This project was delayed because of the pandemic, so it’s especially fulfilling to see it come to life now.”