ST. CLOUD, Minn. — Mahado Onwukwe, a Somali immigrant who moved to St. Cloud in 2004, has spent years struggling to afford dental care.
Now, as CEO of the nonprofit Bright Smiles Community Clinic and Dental, she is opening a St. Cloud branch to remove financial and cultural barriers to treatment in central Minnesota.
Onwukwe said the need is personal: at 13 she injured a front tooth that became infected and eroded bone, and she could not get treatment until 2019, when private insurance through work finally paid for care.
That experience shaped her mission to make dental services accessible to people who face similar obstacles.
The St. Cloud clinic is Bright Smiles’ second location; the organization opened its first clinic in Minneapolis last year.
Sumaya Mohamed, the clinic’s community relations director, said the Minneapolis opening generated strong community support, and the St. Cloud site will serve a larger footprint.
The clinic accepts Medicare and Medicaid, offers a sliding fee scale tied to federal poverty guidelines, and provides financial assistance for patients who cannot pay. Services will prioritize people shut out of care by insurance limits.
Staffing at the St. Cloud branch will include three dentists, a dental therapist, a dental hygienist, a licensed dental assistant and front-desk personnel.
Onwukwe noted that many employees speak common languages ??in the community — including Somali, Spanish, Arabic, Hindi and Persian — so patients can communicate with providers who share their language and cultural background.
“Some patients have never been to a dentist because they are afraid or because costs are too high,” Onwukwe said. “Our team is diverse so patients can see people who look like them and speak their language. We are here to serve the community and change lives.”
Onwukwe brings years of health-care experience to the role, including work as a community health worker, a trauma-informed care program specialist and CentraCare’s director of cultural competency and health equity.
She said she wanted to give back to the communities that raised her — citing graduates from Apollo High School and St. Cloud State University among those she hopes to help.
Meanwhile, Crossroads Center has seen recent retail activity. Sketchers has opened a store in the mall, and Windsor, a women’s apparel brand, plans to relocate to the center near Crunch Fitness. Urban Cuts barber shop has moved to the food court area.
The Red Robin restaurant at Crossroads Center has closed. According to FinanceBuzz, the national chain plans to shutter 15 locations this year and up to 70 by 2030.
The St. Cloud Red Robin opened in 2016 at 3945 W. Division St. Crossroads Center is located at 4101 W. Division St. and is open Monday–Saturday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.