Success Stories
On The Road Again: A Tooth Taxi Update
by Mary Daly, Program Manager, Tooth Taxi
Update Number 11 | 3/20/09 | Umatilla
Dr. Heringer and assistants James and Geneva picked up the Tooth Taxi at the Mid-Columbia bus park in Hermiston and headed to the city of Umatilla, at the confluence of the mighty Umatilla and Columbia rivers. The Tooth Taxi parked at McNary Heights Elementary School, student population 600. The team was very well received by the school faculty and staff. Bob Lorence, school principal was instrumental in sharing our program with his staff which in turn provided support from all areas of the school.
The head of Food Services came out to visit the van and invited us to have lunches in the cafeteria.
Tuesday, the teachers were having a potluck dinner and invited us to join them; a welcome respite from restaurant fare and Subway sandwiches!
We've continued to hold our open house for faculty and staff and hand out toothbrushes for visiting. This week it paid off, we had 16 guests, the Principal, and teacher Taunya Daniel who brought her two kids, a 1st and 2nd grader onto the Tooth Taxi for a tour. Taunya also brought us peanut butter cookies!
Friday morning's announcements over the intercom included a thank you to the Tooth Taxi along with songs, awards and the Pledge of Allegiance.
Tooth Taxi Visitors: Richard Olcott (James' father) and Tim Scott (a family friend) came by the van for their first visit and were very impressed.
High energy and enthusiastic OEA UniServ Consultant Dave Fiore. Dave is with the Columbia River UniServ branch covering several school districts, including Milton-Freewater and Umatilla.
The East Oregonian Newspaper: George Murdock (Editor and former Linfield College classmate of Dr. Heringers) and Skip Nichols (Managing Editor). Click on the following link to read Tooth Taxi coverage:
http://www.eastoregonian.info/
Schools Out!
From the student gallery:
- 3 min. into the nitrous-laughing gas kindergartner says to Dr. Heringer, "You're handsome, James is handsome too!"
- "Are you a nice or mean dentist?" (We saw a lot of students that had never been to the dentist before, "virgin" patients that were easy to treat. This quote is a prime example of why "virgin" patients are often easier to treat and gives us a chance to provide the patient with a positive first dental experience).
- "I want to come here every day!"
- After taking an X-ray Dr. Heringer says to patient, "Oh, you did a great job." "Thanks handsome," replied the patient, a male Kindergartner.
- On Thursday morning before 8:00 James had a visitor at the Tooth Taxi door, a boisterous little boy. "I need to be seen, I need you guys to see me. I came early so I could get paperwork before school started, my mom's in the shower and my dad's asleep". James escorts him to the office to see about his paperwork to get him screened. The student tells the ladies in the office "Let me just call my parents." On the phone he says "The people from the Tooth Taxi are here and they want to see my teeth, I need you to sign some papers, can you come down to the school?" The secretary talks to Mom and finds out that the student sees a dentist regularly and just went last month. As a consolation, James gave him a tour of the Tooth Taxi and a toothbrush packet. On Friday the students got out early for spring break, the Tooth Taxi had the screen door open and our little student appeared, "Hey James, James, I just wanna say thanks for letting me come in and check it out the other day, that was really awesome. You guys coming back, when you coming back?"
Dr. Heringer with middle school student & patient.
Fringe benefits of the job - big horn sheep in the Gorge, right off I-84 near Rufus, Oregon.
Umatilla stats:
3/18-3/20/09
- 130 students screened
- 28 students treated in the van
- $24,061 value of free dental services provided.
A
happy Umatilla student & Tooth Taxi patient.
Summary
Tooth Taxi, September 2008 - March 20, 2009
- 1812 students screened
- 359 students received oral hygiene education in the classroom
- 756 students treated in the van
- $506,409 value of free dental services provided
Next week on the road: Monday & Tuesday we will be at Sisters of the Road Cafe© in Old Town Portland where PCC hygiene students will be providing cleanings to homeless adults. Wednesday we'll be setting up at the convention center for the Oregon Dental Convention where we will be through Saturday. The Tooth Taxi will be parked in the back of the exhibit hall, stop by and see us.
Next week's recap: Spring Break
Regards, Mary
