From 2013 to 2024, the St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic provided much-needed health care to Lakota adults and children on South Dakota’s Rosebud Sioux Reservation. It was born out of a need identified by Fr. John Hatcher, SJ, then St. Francis Mission (SFM) president, and Dr. John Boarini, a 1955 graduate of Chicago’s Loyola School of Dentistry (who, along with his dentist sons, solicited donations of equipment and supplies).
The need was significant. American Dental Association statistics showed that 90 percent of the Lakota people on the Rosebud Reservation had chronic tooth decay or gum disease – a crisis due, for the most part, to living in one of the poorest counties in the United States. As a consequence of a chronic shortage of dental providers, oral health care provided by the U.S. Indian Health Service was lacking, and community members asked SFM for help.
Over the years, volunteer dentists, hygienists, and assistants from 14 states made the clinic possible. Staff and students from Creighton, Indiana, and AT Still Universities; and the Universities of South Dakota, Nebraska, Missouri-Kansas City, and Connecticut – as well as volunteer dentists from private practices – provided exams, x-rays, fillings, cleanings, bridges, extractions, dentures, follow-up checkups, and education in preventive care.
No one, regardless of age or race, was ever turned away. While the services were free, SFM billed private insurance and Medicaid if the patient had these. The clinic operated on gifts from donors, grants, and insurance payments.
Recently, SFM found the costs of all of its ministries going up. With limited resources, its Board of Directors made the difficult decision to close the clinic on September 30, 2024.
Yet the need continues, and SFM remains deeply committed to the health and well-being of the Sicangu Lakota people.
That is why, in collaboration with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe’s Health Administration, efforts are underway for the Tribe to take over and fund the clinic, with hopes to reopen in 2026. The clinic building will be available for their use, and the overall benefit will be continued care for the community.
“We greatly appreciate the support of all of our donors and volunteers, whose compassion and dedication have made the clinic a success for so long – and in so doing, had a profound impact on countless lives,” said Rodney Bordeaux, SFM president. “We are grateful for the opportunity to have provided a needed service for our people, and we hope that our collaboration with the Rosebud Sioux Tribe will keep the doors open.”
