Lyon College School of Dental Medicine set for new Little Rock location

After its plan to open a dental school on the Heifer International campus fell through in November 2023, Lyon College announced the Lyon College School of Dental Medicine will be located in Little Rock’s Riverdale neighborhood, in the former Blue Cross and Blue Shield space at 5 Allied Drive.

Reprinted from Arkansasonline.com:

In the announcement Tuesday, Little Rock Mayor Frank Scott Jr. expressed excitement that the college would keep its dental school in the capital city, “where it will be an excellent addition to a world-renowned medical ecosystem that serves the entire region.”

“It has taken a total team effort among city officials, business and community leaders, and developers to bring the state’s first dental school to Little Rock,” the mayor added. “I appreciate Lyon College for its partnership and commitment and look forward to the arrival of the first class of students in fall 2025.”

Lyon is collaborating with the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences on the dental school, joining forces where practicable and identifying opportunities for joint teaching, research, graduate education and professional development that benefit students and faculty, under a memorandum of understanding announced in 2022.

The college is also partnering with the Arkansas Department of Health and Arkansas Oral Health Coalition to increase awareness of oral health in Arkansas.

In March, Republican U.S. Sen. John Boozman championed a $15 million federal appropriation for Lyon’s dental school, according to the college. Additional educational support has been secured by the college from the state’s dental community.

Arkansas is one of only 14 states that do not have a dental school or college, according to listings from the Commission on Dental Accreditation. Arkansas fares poorly in dental health, ranking near the bottom for U.S. states, according to the national Library of Medicine.

“We remain committed to addressing the oral health needs of the underserved across Arkansas, and I am excited about the new possibilities that this location offers us to positively impact the community, improve oral health literacy, and increase access to quality oral health care,” Soffe said in the news release. “Lyon College’s new school will feature cutting-edge facilities equipped with advanced technology, fostering innovation and collaboration among students and faculty.”

DHS terminates negotiations with Delta, MCNA, two other bidders for Medicaid contract

Officials at the Arkansas Department of Human Services have ceased their Arkansas Medicaid Dental Managed Care vendor procurement process and are currently “reviewing options to either rebid the procurement or to move beneficiaries back to Fee for Service,” DHS spokesman Gavin Lesnick tells the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.

Lesnick cites an impasse in the negotiation process, saying that “during active negotiations with vendors who bid on the Dental Managed Care contract, it became apparent we [would] not reach agreement.”

Current contract holders Delta Dental and MCNA ranked highest in DHS’ proposal scoring, at 774.01 and 766.90, followed by DentaQuest at 759.97 and Liberty Dental at 759.20.

In December 2023, after learning DHS anticipated awarding contracts to all four vendors—not the “two or three” cited in the DHS’ request for proposal—Delta Dental attorney Mark Hodge wrote a letter of protest to DHS Secretary Kristi Putnam, contending Delta is “an aggrieved party due to the impacts of a four-vendor award decision which fails to adhere to the procurement rules set forth in the RFP and the results of the evaluation conducted by the DHS.”

The Office of State Procurement dismissed the protest, citing that the “two or three” language in the RFP was “aspirational” and “more akin to a statement of intent or recitals in a contract rather than a statement prescribing required conduct or action for either the offerors or the DHS”

More from Michael R. Wickline at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.