Dental van returns to Sisters

As a part of ongoing efforts to help those in need, a free, one-day dental clinic will be held in Sisters on Friday, May 25. Family Access Network (FAN), through a donation from Sisters' Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration, is sponsoring the clinic. The services of the mobile dental unit are available to uninsured, low income adults who reside in the Sisters area.

Dental services are free, although a $10 donation is requested of every patient who receives treatment.

"It's not required, but they're looking to have that," said FAN advocate Dawn Cooper, who added that no one will be turned away if he or she does not the ability to donate.

The van will park in the parking lot of SOAR.

The clinic will provide emergency dental care, especially to those who are in pain.

"What we're trying to do is really more urgency type dentistry," said event organizer Celia Greyson, who has worked as a volunteer for the clinic's parent sponsor Medical Teams International for 10 years. Cleanings are not available as the clinic is "not preventative," she said.

According to Frank Guthrie, Episcopal Church of the Transfiguration community outreach committee chairman, the church's goal in donating the money to fund the mobile unit's visit to Sisters is to support FAN "as it tries to understand the unmet family needs in our community. We're extremely impressed that in order to address children, which is their (FAN's) primary objective, they're understanding the needs of families, because that has an impact on children," Guthrie said.

Greyson told The Nugget that the church has made Friday's clinic possible. "It's all about them and what they've done for us. ... That church is so wonderful about giving to the community," she said.

In March, FAN sponsored the first mobile dental clinic that anyone can ever remember coming to Sisters.

"Again the response has been overwhelming. Within three days I had a full day's schedule of appointments," said Greyson.

Fourteen individuals are scheduled for treatment when the mobile van is here Friday.

Greyson maintains an on-call list in case someone cancels or does not show up.

"I always have a quick call list so I can get someone in," she said.

Greyson is already compiling a waiting list for when the dental van next returns to Sisters, likely in July. Any qualified person who is in need of dental care should contact her as soon as possible to make an appointment at 549-1008.

"The reason that it (Friday's clinic) filled up so fast is that I had people waiting from the last time ... and I couldn't put them in the last time, so getting on the wait schedule is really important if you want to insure yourself a position for the next time around," Greyson said.

Medical Teams International, formerly Northwest Medical Teams, asks for a donation each time it sends its Central Oregon-based dental van in to a community. According to Greyson, a private sponsor has already come forward to fund the clinic planned for July and another individual has offered to sponsor a second clinic this summer if the need prevails.

"It's amazing how many needs are not met here in the community, particularly with the dental. It's easier to find medical assistance for people, but dental is tough, and this is all across Oregon. That's why we have so many vans just like this going all across the state because people cannot get the care that they really need," Greyson said.

The Central Oregon mobile unit services an area as far south as Lakeview and as far north as Madras and its surrounding areas.

"It goes anywhere up the (Highway) 97 corridor and east," said Greyson.

The mobile unit is used as many days as it can be staffed. According to Greyson, dentists who are both willing and able to donate a day's service are hard to find. Dentists from the valley who have second homes in this area often man the Central Oregon van.

Greyson is always looking for dentists, as well as dental assistants and hygienists, to volunteer their services; anyone willing to help should contact her directly at 549-1008.