By Jacque Dansby, Development Director for PrimeHealth+
Origins in Charity
In her role as President and CEO of SCL Health St. Mary’s Hospital, Sister Marianna Bauder, who passed away in 2019, responded to Denver’s unmet medical needs by creating a safety-net clinic to serve families impacted by job loss, home foreclosures, unmet healthcare needs, and lingering despair. Leading the way, Sister Marianna mobilized others in the Grand Junction community to participate in this important project. This initiative is now under the auspices of Intermountain Health St. Mary’s Hospital.
Named after Saint Louise de Marillac, Marillac Clinic opened in 1988 with a mission to provide charitable health care. In its early years, the clinic served about 5,000 people—including those who were homeless, elderly, farmworkers, and undocumented immigrants and families who were uninsured, underinsured or on Medicaid.
In 2014, Marillac Clinic became a Federally Qualified Health Center. Rebranded as PrimeHealth+ in 2025, it now serves more than 16,000 patients, providing integrated medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy services. PrimeHealth+ believes that all people deserve dignity and welcoming access to health care, regardless of their life circumstances.
Big Help for Little Teeth
PrimeHealth+ is serving more and more immigrant children with advanced oral disease. Usually ages three to five, these children often have severely deteriorated baby teeth and diseased gums sometimes with teeth visibly rotted to the gumline. If left untreated, these infections can be serious, even fatal. Each year, the clinic treats nearly 100 cases of advanced pediatric dental decay.
While most of PrimeHealth+’s pediatric patients are covered by Medicaid, families without Medicaid face the devastating challenge of affording immediate care. To meet that need, PrimeHealth+ launched Big Help for Little Teeth (BHLT) in 2024, a formal assistance program that provides swift intervention, including outpatient surgery, for uninsured children with extensive decay.
Pediatric dentist Dr. Kate Hart, DDS, who has worked at PrimeHealth+ for 18 years, explains: “These children must undergo general anesthesia in an operating room for procedures that often take two hours. Repairing a mouthful of diseased baby teeth usually involves root canals, fillings, crowns, and caps. Any unsalvageable teeth must be extracted, and spacers must be inserted. Treatment plans range from $3,000 to $4,500. That is a staggering cost for immigrant and very low-income families who lack insurance.”
Removing Financial Barriers
PrimeHealth+’s bilingual pediatric dental team has the expertise to provide this care—but cost remains the greatest barrier. To reduce expenses, the organization negotiated with a partnering surgical center and anesthesiology practice, which agreed to lower their combined fees to $1,800. However, these fees must be paid before surgery can proceed.
The BHLT Financial Assistance Fund, assisted by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, was created to cover these upfront costs for children who lack insurance or other resources. The fund ensures that life-changing care happens without delay.
“The gift from the SCL Charity and Systemic Change Initiative allows us to extend the Vincentian tradition of compassionate care to our youngest and sickest patients,” Dansby said. “And when the delivery of health care is rooted in faith, humility, and love, God’s love continues its journey to us, through us, and beyond us.”
Healing Smiles: Ismael’s Story
Meet pediatric dentist Dr. Kate Hart, DDS, pictured above with her patient Ismael. Dr. Hart has worked at PrimeHealth+ for 18 years.
At just four years old, Ismael suffered from advanced dental disease, something that can develop quickly through unhealthy snacking, sugary beverages, inconsistent brushing, and lack of professional dental care. Because baby teeth are smaller and softer than adult teeth, they deteriorate fast.
With financial assistance from Big Help for Little Teeth, funded by the Sisters of Charity of Leavenworth, Ismael received the surgery he urgently needed. Within days, he was full of energy again—playing, sleeping well, and eating comfortably.
To learn more about PrimeHealth+, click HERE.
