Grand Opening for ODS Office, School of Dental Hygiene Set for Friday, August 19

Note: Friday's event is open to members of the media; tours for the general public will follow on Saturday

Portland, Ore. - The ODS Companies (ODS) will unveil its new office building during a grand opening ceremony at noon on Friday, August 19. The multi-purpose complex will also be home to the ODS School of Dental Hygiene , which was formed through an innovative partnership between ODS, Eastern Oregon University (EOU) and Oregon Institute of Technology (OIT).

"Our new building in downtown La Grande is significant for a number of reasons," said Andrew Franklin, ODS Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "It not only provides a modern, efficient facility for our business needs, it allows us to establish a state-of-the-art school that will help ensure that a sufficient number of hygienists are available to meet Oregon 's future needs. Furthermore, the school will address a significant public health need by providing basic, but vitally important, dental care to underserved segments of the area's population."

The dental hygiene school will be located on the first floor of the building,

with ODS' business offices occupying the second level. Some of the amenities and learning tools the school will provide include 24 dental chair stations, a classroom, video conferencing, four X-ray rooms, and X-ray developing and sterilization facilities. "The school is equipped with the most up-to-date, technically sophisticated equipment available," Franklin said. "We intend to provide a learning environment for our students that is truly first-rate."

The school will offer associate's and bachelor's degrees in dental hygiene and will open next month with a full class of 27 students. Each graduate will receive an associate of applied science degree in dental hygiene granted by OIT following 18 months of combined web-based, classroom and clinical instruction. Dental hygiene courses and clinical work will be taught and supervised by OIT faculty. General education courses will be offered by EOU. A.A.S. graduates who wish to complete the bachelor of science degree can enroll in the online degree completion program offered by OIT.

"OIT is pleased to bring its dental hygiene program to students in the northeastern Oregon region," said Martha Anne Dow, OIT President. "This collaboration creates a new opportunity for students there and is a model for public and private partnerships in higher education."

The city of La Grande has begun construction on a new 19,000-square-foot library and plans to complete the project early next year. The library will be located on property adjacent to ODS and the two buildings will share a coordinated design. "This project will benefit the community on many levels," said Colleen Johnson, mayor of La Grande. "We expect these new buildings to re-vitalize the west end of our downtown business district. They will serve as a hub for the downtown, and infuse the area with a new sense of energy and purpose that we can continue to build upon for future development."

"We care about Oregon and are proud to be a leader in the business community. In this case, extending ourselves beyond the traditional role of an insurance carrier is the right thing to do." Franklin said. " This project will promote economic development in La Grande, create jobs, provide new educational opportunities and make dental care available to people in the community."

The ODS office and dental hygiene school-located at 909 Adams in La Grande-will be open to the community for viewing from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Saturday, August 20.

ODS is a multi-faceted organization that provides dental, medical, and professional liability insurance products, along with a variety of business services including dental practice management software and benefits administration. ODS serves more than 600,000 Oregonians. Founded in 1955, and currently celebrating its 50 th anniversary, ODS is Oregon's leading dental insurer and a member of the Delta Dental Plan Association, the nation's largest and most experienced dental benefits provider. ODS is headquartered in Portland , Oregon and has offices in Medford , Milwaukie , La Grande and Anchorage , Alaska .

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