It’s been a transformative year and we are immensely proud of the ways we continue to pivot together. We boldly stepped forward into the post-pandemic era, and in 2022, we focused our energy on facilitating conversations, cultivating community and being true champions for change.
The past year continued to be filled with extraordinary unknowns that forced us all to dedicate significant time exploring our history, growth, challenges and opportunities. The experiences we have all shared demonstrates My Community Dental Centers’ true commitment to breaking down barriers and creating access to quality dental care for our patients, neighbors and community.
Time and time again, I witnessed a strong, adaptive and persistent team that remained united and committed in the face of adversity. These qualities can only be best described with one word — resilience.
In recent years, we have all bravely faced challenges that have deeply impacted our lives. While some may view resilience as a way of “bouncing back,” we define it differently at MCDC. We see resilience as a driver of transformational change and we have our eyes set on how we can “bounce forward.”
Bouncing forward means sharpening our focus, tackling complex problems and making difficult decisions with courage. It has required us to ask ourselves:
Who are we as an organization? | Why is our mission important?
How do want to make an impact? | Who do we want to be?
This intentional reflection resulted in “Exemplifying Excellence” — a blueprint of our values and beliefs that guides strategic decisions, shapes workplace culture, elevates our core services and shines a light on what sets our team apart — not only for our communities and patients — but for one another as a team.
As a result of our efforts, we elevated ourselves as a thought, systems and dental industry leader in Michigan. We immersed ourselves in collaboration and partnerships between various stakeholders, including dental care providers, government agencies, insurance companies, and community organizations to fulfill our vision of building an equitable system for our Michiganders.
As a result of these collaborative efforts or as a result of our collaborative efforts, the Michigan legislature passed a historic reform to Michigan’s Medicaid adult dental program with the 2023 budget to increase payment rates for providers and expand the scope of services for much-needed treatment.
We understand addressing dental care in our state is not a singular problem but multifaceted. Even with historical changes, we continue to see persistent gaps in access to quality oral health care against the backdrop of a diminishing workforce. This requires us to remain committed to identifying ways to improve access by extending career growth opportunities to our frontline workers and creating a more equitable workplace where everyone can thrive. As an organization, we are working toward building pathways to diversify our workforce, strengthen our culture and improve industry representation for the future. We are committed to making systems work for every individual, every family, every community and every dental professional.
I am extremely proud of our entire team. The stories and data in this report reflect our humanity, strength and resilience. We look forward to 2023 — the year where we rise above resilience and exemplify excellence so everyone can thrive.
We are grateful for the support of our friends and partners, and we look forward to continued success in the years to come. Thank you for your commitment to our mission and for helping us to make a positive difference in the lives of our patients.
We are resilient.
We are MCDC.
Deborah Brown, DMD, MHA, FACHE
Chief Executive Officer, MCDC
Our mission
Enhance community health by offering access to quality dental care for all.
Our motto
Improving lives – one smile at a time!
Our promise
We promise to offer continuous support in a patient-centered environment.
Thank you to our partners and to our Board!
The pandemic changed the world, yet our partners continued to be a constant source of support and inspiration for us. Together with our partners, we are working to create a culture of perseverance and problem solving to provide access to dental care for all.
