Dr. Kris Volcheck and
Dr. Gordon Osterhaus, Jr.
Photo courtesy of AZDA |
“You’re never fully dressed without
a smile”—remember that song from Annie?
But for homeless people, there’s kind of a
Catch-22: it’s hard to impress a potential
employer if you have bad dental problems—but
without a job, you can’t afford dental work!
That’s a problem that program director Kris
Volcheck understood. He was a dentist in private
practice, but he wanted to do more. He met Mary Orton,
the founder of CASS (Central Arizona Shelter Services),
who had some ideas about dental services for the
homeless. Kris started having ideas too. Realizing
that a dental clinic on the CASS campus could make
a huge difference in the lives of the homeless, he
began talking with dentists he knew.
Kris is a persuasive advocate, and he found a receptive
audience. The result is a full-service dental clinic
providing help and hope to over 3,000 men, women,
and children a year at CASS. Patients may come for
the relief of pain and infection, but the treatment
goes beyond that, to complete dental restoration.
And the work is all done by volunteers.
The clinic’s volunteer dentistry professionals
now number about 300—dentists, hygienists,
and assistants donating their time and care. Also
working with the clinic are about 100 dental labs
throughout the country that volunteer time, as well
as crowns, bridges, dentures, veneers, implants…And
beginning in July 2006, 4th-year students at the
Arizona School of Dentistry and Oral Health are doing
rotations through the dental clinic.
The CASS dental clinic is furnished with the latest
high-quality dental equipment and technology. That
was the way Steve Farni and Dr. Gordon Osterhaus,
Jr., of Valley Dental Equipment, found that they
could help. Gordon spent hundreds of hours working
with CASS. Gordon worked on the design for the $1.3
million clinic, soliciting donations of equipment,
and spreading the word among the dental community
to interest more volunteers.
In addition to Gordon, other Valley Dental Equipment
Co. staff members also helped out, including Dan
Steele, Nate Stropko and Patrick Sheehy, who “sweated
it out”in Phoenix during the actual installation.
Kris says, “Gordon has treated this project
as if it were going to be his own office.”These
efforts won Steve and Gordon the Business Partner
of the Year Award for 2005 from the Coalition to
End Homelessness.
Now that the CASS dental program has been operating
for a few years, it’s well known in the Arizona
dental community. Volunteers enjoy working and hanging
out with each other and the appreciative patients
they treat. The collaboration of these dental professionals
has made the clinic a national model for providing
dental solutions that help the homeless feel better,
look good, and become employable again, so they can
return to productive lives.
Kris speaks weekly to people from other cities who
are interested in setting up similar services, and
he has gone twice to Washington, DC, for the National
Conference for Healthcare for the Homeless. He would
love to see programs like this spread across the
country.
As for Steve and Gordon, they are honored to have
been a part of the Cass Clinic. “We're just
glad we're in a position to be able to help bring
this new and improved clinic to life,”he said. “It’s
a beautiful clinic and a great cause. We want to
thank Kris and the Cass Clinic for allowing us to
help. It’s been a real honor to have been a
part of seeing this clinic come to life.”
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CASES
Ahmal Richardson had always worked with the
public. When he lost one of his front teeth a few
years ago because he did not have the resources
for a root canal and crown, it made getting back
on his feet much harder. He needed a job so he
could afford an apartment—but with a big
hole in his smile, he was having no luck.
The dental volunteers at the CASS Dental Clinic
for the Homeless did their part to get Ahmal ready
to face the working world. With a three-unit anterior
bridge, his smile looks great—he got a job,
saved up and found an apartment, and has a lot
more to smile about!
Debra’s story is a common one at CASS:
She had been a victim of physical trauma, which
had taken a huge toll on her teeth.
When she first came to the clinic, she was so
embarrassed at not having teeth she would barely
open her mouth. Moved by her discomfort, the volunteer
doctor who was in that day asked his own lab if
they could expedite dentures for Debra. They could.
Within a few weeks, Debra had brand new teeth.
Lynn came in with only the bottom two canines
remaining in her mouth. She could not eat properly,
and her two teeth were puncturing her palate while
she was sleeping. The doctors at CASS Dental
Clinic decided to do some procedures that are extensive
but what have actually become commonplace at the
clinic for the homeless. They did root canals,
gave her crowns and a connecting bridge, and built
dentures.
This was an $8000 case all done for free by
volunteer dentists, hygienists, assistants and
one of our labs. Lynn not only became very employable
with her new look, she went right out and found
a job. Needless to say, her health and self-esteem
have improved dramatically.
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