# Creighton dental school receives $4.6M rural health grant  
**Published:** 2026-06-29T20:14:25.000Z  
**Source:** [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omaha-dental-school-gets-4-6m-nibble-of-50b-federal-rural-health-fund/)  
**AI-generated:** yes (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001)  
**Canonical:** https://lincolne.news/article/creighton-dental-school-receives-4-6m-rural-health-grant

Creighton University's School of Dentistry has been awarded $4.6 million in federal grant funding to expand access to oral healthcare in Nebraska's rural and underserved communities, according to reporting from the [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omaha-dental-school-gets-4-6m-nibble-of-50b-federal-rural-health-fund/).

The funds come from the Rural Health Transformation Program, a $50 billion federal initiative created in President Donald Trump's tax and spending package signed into law last July. The program distributes $10 billion annually through fiscal year 2030 to states to help offset harm from sweeping cuts to Medicaid.

Nebraska secured $218.5 million for the program's first year, ranking eighth nationally among all states. Creighton will receive $925,000 annually, or $4.6 million over the five-year period.

Jillian Wallen, dean of Creighton University School of Dentistry, said the grant will allow the school to continue its after-hours dental clinic, which has treated more than 2,500 patients, many traveling hours from rural areas. The clinic offers dental visits for approximately $100, with philanthropic support available for those unable to pay.

"The impact is visible in the moment when I have patients sitting across from me, so thankful that they were finally able to be seen, heard and provided immediate affordable care," said Hayley Franklin, patient navigator for the School of Dentistry.

Wallen said grant funds will also expand initiatives designed to divert dental emergencies from costly hospital emergency room visits. An average dental-related ER visit costs approximately $3,200 and often does not result in treatment resolution, she said.

The grant will support student clinical rotations in rural areas through partnerships with local public health departments and other grant recipients. Wallen said the goal is to inspire graduates to establish practices in rural Nebraska, where dentists are "desperately" needed.

Independent researchers at the University of Nebraska Medical Center have questioned whether the rural health funding will adequately offset structural changes to Medicaid that are affecting provider margins in rural areas. Some rural hospitals in Nebraska have already announced service reductions despite the federal funding.

Nebraska's Department of Health and Human Services indicated that other entities will also share in the state's rural health funds, though specific allocations were not immediately available.

## Sources

- [Nebraska Examiner](https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omaha-dental-school-gets-4-6m-nibble-of-50b-federal-rural-health-fund/)
- [Center for Children and Families analysis of rural health fund limitations](https://ccf.georgetown.edu/2026/05/01/rural-hospitals-and-communities-feeling-impact-of-h-r-1-medicaid-cuts-rural-health-fund-falls-short/)
- [Nebraska Public Media coverage of rural health transformation program](https://nebraskapublicmedia.org/en/news/news-articles/nebraska-to-receive-218m-in-rural-health-grant-funds-meant-to-offset-medicaid-cuts/)

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This article was generated by AI (claude-haiku-4-5-20251001) based on source material from Nebraska Examiner, enriched with 2 web searches. The original source is available at https://nebraskaexaminer.com/briefs/omaha-dental-school-gets-4-6m-nibble-of-50b-federal-rural-health-fund/.