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The �������� University Center for Orthodontics was named a finalist for a 2015 Health Heroes Award sponsored by the Pittsburgh Business Times and Highmark.

The Center for Orthodontics, which provides reduced-cost orthodontic care for patients throughout the Pittsburgh region while training dentists in the orthodontic specialty, was one of five finalists in the Community Outreach/Organization category.

“The �������� University Center for Orthodontics is an extraordinary example of how the University advances its mission of serving the underserved by providing orthodontic care to those who might otherwise be unable to afford it,” said Mary C. Finger, Ed.D., �������� University president. “Our University community congratulates the Center for Orthodontics, its faculty, staff and residents on being named a finalist for the Health Care Heroes Award.”

“It is a wonderful honor to be named a finalist for an award that honors health care organizations that serve the community,” said Dr. Daniel Rinchuse, professor of orthodontics and director of the Orthodontics Program at ��������. “The Center for Orthodontics meets a critical need to train future orthodontists and to serve the community as a whole by improving the health and well-being of patients who can least afford it. Our faculty, staff and residents work to ensure that everyone in need of orthodontic care can receive it.”

The �������� University Center for Orthodontics opened its doors in July 2010 as both a training facility for future orthodontists and a clinic where patients of all ages could receive high-quality orthodontic care. The Center filled a need caused when a reduced-cost orthodontic clinic in Westmoreland County closed, leaving many patients using medical assistance benefits without a place to go for orthodontic care.

The Center accepts medical assistance plans and all private insurance plans and works with patients and their families on affordable monthly payments for portions of care not covered by insurance.

The Health Care Heroes Awards celebrate the people and organizations in Pittsburgh's regional health care industry who are instrumental in making the region one of the premier health care centers in the world. Honorees include doctors, nurses, health care professionals, companies, non-profit organizations, volunteers and others from all types of organizations whose dedication and hard work affect affect everyone in the region, sometimes on a very personal level.

The winners of the 2015 Health Care Heroes Awards were announced during an event on September 9 at 5 p.m. at the Omni William Penn in Pittsburgh. The winner in the Community Outreach/Organization category was Catholic Charities Free Health Care Center.

The other finalists in the Community Outreach/Organization category were Autism Connection of PA,  Excela Health, and Medical Rescue Team South Authority (MRTSA).

For more information on the �������� University Center for Orthodontics, visit {wwwroot:ortho}