The abrupt closure of the United We Smile clinic – which operated until January 2 at Copper Ridge under the fiduciary umbrella of United Way of Northwest Michigan – has raised concerns among Grand Traverse County commissioners about a looming service gap for veterans and other vulnerable groups who need dental care.

Jennifer Kerns, who helped launch United We Smile, and staff dentist David Carlisle appeared before commissioners Wednesday to discuss the clinic’s closure. Since launching in 2023, United We Smile has provided over $3.7 million in dental work for at-risk individuals typically turned away for treatment elsewhere, Kerns said. Patients included not only veterans but pregnant women, individuals with disabilities, and pre-cooperative children, she said. In partnership with the University of Michigan, the clinic used a combination of dental students – overseen by Carlisle – and local volunteer dentists.

However, Kerns said red flags started appearing as “money became an issue.” According to Kerns, United Way used funds from the clinic’s account to pay for legal services without her knowledge and disbanded United We Smile’s board last year. (For its part, United Way says the two boards agreed to combine for “greater governing efficiency.”) Kerns said she learned the clinic was covering the majority of rent for the shared Copper Ridge building despite using less than half the space. Clinic staff took pay cuts and canceled their cleaning contract – with employees taking on cleaning themselves – as cost-saving measures, according to Kerns.  Still, United Way “let all of us go and closed the clinic,” she said.

Both Kerns and Carlisle expressed concerns that clinic funds were being redirected to support United Way operations. “We don’t know what’s happening,” said Carlisle. “There’s no transparency.” Kerns said there was “no reason” United We Smile should have closed. “We are a self-sustaining clinic, and there’s nothing wrong with our books,” she said. “The ripple effect is huge…this entire population is now going to fall through the cracks.”

In a statement shared with The Ticker, United Way cited “staffing and other capacity constraints” as the reason for the clinic’s closure. “Operating a safety-net dental clinic with the mission of providing low or no cost care is financially challenging due to the associated costs and low Medicaid reimbursement rates,” United Way wrote. “The current environment of rising costs and uncertainty surrounding ongoing funding levels for programs like Medicaid create additional pressures in sustaining programs like United We Smile.”

United Way provided nearly $1 million in direct support to the clinic since it launched, according to the statement. The organization said it’s sent notification letters with information on other dental providers to all patients and is working to refer veteran patients who had treatments in progress to other clinics, calling the decision to close a “difficult” one.

One major issue that’s still outstanding is $2.9 million in state funding announced in October for United We Smile. The funding was supposed to help the clinic purchase its building for $2.47 million, Kerns said, securing its financial future. “We don’t know what’s happening with the (state funding),” Kerns told commissioners.

State Rep. John Roth, who helped secure the allocation in the state budget, tells The Ticker the funding is being held “temporarily in Lansing” while United Way works through its issues. Roth says his understanding is that another group might take over operating the dental clinic – a partnership that could be a “very stable long-term solution,” he says – but that if it doesn’t work out, the funding would go away.

“I’m not happy about that, because I stuck my neck out to help get that money,” he says. “But we’re willing to give it a couple weeks to see what happens.” When asked about the financial management concerns shared by staff about United Way, Roth says he’s “watching that carefully. They’re going to have to prove there are no issues in order to get that money from the state. Hopefully we can get it all worked out. Obviously, we see the value in (the clinic).”

United Way confirmed none of the state funding has been released to date. United Way is “currently collaborating with our state representative and other community partners to explore alternatives that may allow for the transition and utilization of this community-based dental program and clinic so these much-needed dental services can continue to be provided to underserved populations in our region going forward,” the organization wrote.

County staff and commissioners both worried about the community impact if United We Smile remains closed. Kerns said more than 300 veterans are on the wait list for dental care, noting that the clinic also hosted a food pantry, lactation classes, and parenting classes. Michael Roof of Grand Traverse County Veterans Affairs, which contracted with the clinic, said United We Smile was a “huge gap filler” that served veterans from all over the state, not just locally.

While United Way pointed to other Medicaid clinics like Dental Clinics North as recommended alternates, County Health Officer Mike Lahey said Dental Clinics North has a “list out the door.” United We Smile served a specific “niche market,” Lahey said, adding “there is going to be a gap in our community” – one he believed was “not going to be filled at this moment.”

County Commissioner Rob Hentschel, echoing concerns from other county officials, said he was “astounded and devastated” by the clinic’s closure. He called dental care a “large quality-of-life” issue for veterans and other community members. Commissioners voted unanimously Wednesday to have Roof, Lahey, and County Administrator Nate Alger collaborate on possible options for continuing to provide services to clinic patients and bring those back for consideration at a future commission meeting.