Staff at Sea Mar Community Health Centers are thrilled to be in partnership with PNWU, to train the next generation of dental students, practicing dentistry using a multidisciplinary approach, providing dental care to the underserved communities. In addition to the PNWU faculty, the training of dental students will include rotations at various Sea Mar dental clinics where the focus is treating the pediatric population or patients with Special Needs. In addition their rotations will also include working with specialists in endodontics, periodontics and oral facial pain. This training will be complimented by using sophisticated technology in the pre-clinical education to have optimal preparation of dental students and continue to their dental practice on live patients.
Research has indicated that dentists who have received training in community-based dental clinics, are most likely to work serving the population with Medicaid insurance and practicing in rural or high-poverty communities. With this in mind and following Sea Mar’s mission and PNWU’s vision, a great emphasis will be placed in developing clinicians who will serve the communities with greatest needs for dental services. Areas in Washington State where dental services are in great demand and Sea Mar currently has health centers that can host dental student rotations, include Aberdeen, Ocean Shores, Port Angeles, and Oak Harbor.
Sea Mar Community Health Centers was founded in 1978, by a group of Latino UW graduate students and community leaders, with the vision to create a comprehensive health center for the Latino community in Seattle, with satellite clinics in rural communities in western Washington. They began with one small clinic in the South Park neighborhood of Seattle. Today, Sea Mar is one of Washington’s largest providers of community-based health and human services, including community and migrant primary medical and dental care, obstetrics and gynecology, minor outpatient surgery, laboratory and radiology services, outpatient and inpatient behavioral health and substance abuse treatment services, social services and case management, maternity support services, migrant and homeless support services, health education and nutrition programs, pharmacy services, community- and facility-based long-term care services, child care, and low-income and migrant farm worker housing. Last year, Sea Mar provided over 1.7 million visits and services to more than 320,000 individuals.
Sea Mar’s mission is to serve low-income, underserved, and uninsured communities in the State of Washington, specializing in services to the Latino population. For the past forty-five years, Sea Mar has consistently provided innovative leadership at the local, regional, and national levels in the delivery of bilingual and culturally appropriate health care and social services.
Mary Bartolo has worked at Sea Mar since it first opened in 1978. Mary has over 45 years of health care administration experience. As Executive Vice President, Mary is responsible for collaborating with the President and CEO in the overall management of the organization.
Mary participates on boards, committees, and task forces throughout Sea Mar’s service areas. She attended Yakima Valley Community College and Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota.
