Hope Dental Clinic in St. Paul closing after more than 60 years

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - Hope Dental Clinic, a longtime St. Paul office known for serving uninsured patients, is closing its doors after more than 60 years in business. 

The clinic announced on Thursday that last-ditch efforts to secure funding were unsuccessful. 

Hope Dental Clinic closing

What they're saying:

The clinic said that despite efforts from several organizations, the clinic could not secure the funding needed to keep the clinic's doors open. 

Because of this, Hope Dental Clinic filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy on Feb. 25, and the clinic's equipment and furniture will be sold in a virtual auction. 

A link to that auction can be found here, and bidding is currently open. 

READ MORE: St. Paul dental clinic for uninsured closing after more than 60 years

The clinic said in the news release, "We are humbly grateful and deeply moved by the well-wishes received from you. We agree HDC was a wonderful place which provided a highly needed service to our community. The Board understands and regrets the magnitude of this abrupt closure for patients, interns, students, residents, educators, providers, and the community. No one bore the burden of this more than the HDC staff, who unexpectedly lost their jobs one Thursday afternoon right before the holidays."

Patients have been individually notified on how to access their records, the clinic said. 

Dental office impact

By the numbers:

About 25% of Minnesotans don’t have dental insurance and Medicare doesn’t cover dentistry, so people who are older or have a lower income either pay out-of-pocket or find a place like Hope Dental Clinic. 

Hope was more than 95% staffed by volunteers — about 450 of them. But it cost almost $100,000 a month to keep the doors open.

Staff were laid off back in December.