A new north Alabama dental clinic is officially on its way. The University of Alabama System Board of Trustees approved a Decatur construction project at the Sept. 5 meeting.

Decatur Morgan Hospital will be upgraded with a new space housing the UAB School of Dentistry clinic. The 6,982-square-foot space will cost $4,776,000 and include 13 dental rooms, a digital lab, and an imaging suite.

“It is no secret that there is a shortage of dental health providers in rural and moderately urban locations in our state,” said Dr. Nicolaas Geurs, dean of UAB’s School of Dentistry in a news release. “It is critical that we continue to find ways to close those gaps.”

The facility is scheduled to open in 2026. This is UAB’s second rural dental clinic. Dothan’s clinic opened in February.

On Thursday trustees also approved a $7 billion operating budget for the 2025 fiscal year, an increase of approximately 7% from 2024. The largest component of the system’s budget is the UAB Health System, which has operating expenses of about $3.2 billion.

The three campuses’ tuition and fees portion of the operating budget increased about 2% to about $851,000.