WesternU We Care Dental was founded with the mission of providing quality care to those with special needs and others who might not have access to dental services. Although we maintain that focus for our practice, we are pleased to serve all patients in the Coachella Valley.
We Care Dental was founded by Marianne and Russell Benson in 2009 utilizing volunteers and donated space and supplies. Their mission was to provide quality dental care at an affordable price to those who otherwise would not have access to dental treatment – patients with disabilities, seniors, veterans, and others without dental insurance. In 2011 they opened a four chair clinic that added dental students from Western University of Health Sciences College of Dental Medicine in Pomona, CA. Care for patients was funded by a mix of fee for service, dental insurance, and grants administered through a partnering public benefit charity called Dessert Friends of the Developmentally Disabled. The addition of 2 dental residents (dentists seeking advanced training in general dentistry, AEGD) in 2015 provided through a jointly sponsored program with NYU Langone Dental Medicine Postdoctoral Residency Program. This program added additional providers to serve an expanding patient base. However, We Care Dental rapidly outgrew its small facility and therefore to better serve the community partnered with WesternU in 2016 to open a new 11 chair facility a few blocks from the original location.
