Mayer said the clinic has also been understaffed for several years, further inhibiting the department's ability to break even financially. Those decisions by UHS management, said Rhines, set the dental clinic up for failure. Melby agreed that staffing and insurance contributed to the financial losses at the clinic, but that many factors were weighed in the closure decision. When we look at all the pieces, I'm not sure that they could cover all their costs. But a labor coalition plans to examine the feasibility of keeping the clinic open, said Rhines.
Union representatives hope to put forward an action plan for the service.
Both Cevallos and Melby said they would be open to reviewing such a plan. But such a plan, said Cevallos, would be tantamount to privatizing the clinic, since the service would be operated on a contract basis. Staff dentist Preetmohinder Singh Bagga said many students don't have transportation available to take them to local dentists. Community dentists can't handle that kind of load. Bagga and Rhines also questioned whether UHS management is drifting away from its mission of public service.