Success Stories
On The Road Again: A Tooth Taxi Update
by Mary Daly, Program Manager, Tooth Taxi
Update Number 17 | 5/4/09 | Jordan Valley
The Tooth Taxi rolled across the state of Oregon into Mountain Time Zone to treat students in the Malheur School district at the Jordan Valley outpost. We left on Sunday morning to tackle the 11 hour drive and arrived in Jordan Valley at 9:00 p.m. Montana claims to be “big sky” country but we certainly have our share of big sky and cumulous clouds. It is desolate, remote, yet beautiful country – sagebrush, tumbleweed, incredible canyons and rock formations. This is the land of the Owyhee Canyonlands, a region that encompasses the corners of Oregon, Idaho and Nevada. The canyonlands are one of the largest intact desert ecosystems in the West. Students and their families are the 4-H’er’s, the cattle raisers and the real cowboys.
TT on the road from Burns to Jordan Valley
The Basques began settling in the Jordan Valley in 1889 and their history in the area runs deep, descendants still contribute to the town’s population (650) and there is a restored stone ball court (Pelota Frontone) right in town. Most of Jordan Valley business’ are for sale – The convenience store, the one remaining hotel, one remaining gas station, the museum, one of the two restaurants, and the vacant former grocery store. The museum a stone building (most likely built by Basque stonemasons with local materials) is accessible to everyone with large display windows on 3 sides, lit up at night. No need for personnel or admission fees, the history is available 24 hrs. Although the town diminished from its heyday it’s still a busy outpost as it’s the southernmost Oregon route into Idaho; cattletrucks and pickups a steady stream of traffic through town, very few cars.
We had our most adventurous volunteers join us on this trip. Retired Drs. Mike Goger (Albany) and Ken Peterson (John Day) came with an arsenal of food (there is no grocery store in Jordan Valley), guns and jokes (their reputation for humor spread throughout the high school, students with appointments on Thursday were expecting entertainment in addition to the movies overhead). They provided significant contributions in the area of dentistry, nourishment and evening outings.
Our sharpshooter dentists
After screenings at the Jordan Valley Schools, Dr. Heringer and I drove out to Rockville to screen students. The Rockville school (a 2-room, open floor-plan schoolhouse with a separate gym) student population 11, was featured in the Oregonian last October. Read the attached article to see the charming school, meet the students and vicariously live their unique lifestyle: http://www.oregonlive.com
When we left Jordan Valley for Rockville the school manager gave us directions “stay on the main gravel road.” See the photo of the main gravel road, which we drove for 17 miles before the little red schoolhouse popped into our view.
“stay on the main gravel road.”
Our last screening stop was just outside Jordan Valley into Idaho at the Pleasant Valley School, student population 7. The school is newer and was built in the heyday of the De Lamar silver mine (which is now closed). The chain-link fence around the school and all the gates were closed, but we found school in session. The teacher told us “the gates are closed around the school because the cattle are out.”
The Pleasant Valley students were eating lunch when we arrived – one of the older students serving told his schoolmates “Don’t have enough forks for everybody, somebody’s going to have to eat with spoons.” One of the families in Pleasant Valley couldn’t make it to the screening as they were “mudded in”; they made it to Jordan Valley the next day.
We also saw students from Arock 25 miles east of Jordan Valley, student population 18. The school was closed on Monday for a staff member’s funeral, but some of the kids were in Pleasant Valley and Jordan Valley that day (it’s a small community) so we screened them and some drove in from Arock on Tuesday to finish up our screening.
Jordan Valley is the only high school (7 – 12) for the outlying schools (and no bus service), student population is 43. Jordan Valley K-6 student population is 34. The elementary school students go over to the high school for a hot lunch provided by The Basque Inn. The hot lunch program just started in February.
We took advantage of the evening light and our tour guide Dr. Goger to explore the country after work. Driving out to Black Rock Dr. Heringer fractured a permanent front tooth chewing on a piece of Grant County venison. A toothless dentist? That may leave some concerns with patients about our credibility. He didn’t smile much the next day and lucky for him we had a lapse between patients (waiting for students from Rockville) when volunteer dentists Drs. Goger and Peterson got him in the chair and went to work. What does a combined 122 years of dentistry look like?
Dr. Goger, Dr. Peterson assisting, and Dr. Heringer as the patient
We also spent time rock hounding for jasper, petrified wood and crystallized agates. The area, a rock hounder's dream, rocky terrain punctuated with wildflowers. Although at a high elevation and a harsh climate the flowers are dwarf size compared to those in the Columbia River Gorge. Blooming lupine, balsamroot and Indian paintbrush.
One evening we kayaked on the Antelope Reservoir, where a full rainbow arch hung over the snow capped peaks of the Idaho Owhyees. It was great for birding, and for Dr. Heringer a chance to pick up a hood ornament for his kayak. Cattle grazed not too far offshore and bleached cow skeletons littered the landscape.
With no cell service in Jordan Valley and no internet service at the hotel it was liberating to explore this unique geographic area in the evenings.
Stories from the Frontier:
Young middle school student sits in the dental chair and says “pretty nice trailer”.
“Is this chocolate mint bubble gum?” (referring to the flavor of fluoride varnish)
“My parents were talking yesterday and counted to 2008. I’ve never counted that far.”
Little girl I walked back to class who had no cavities and just a cleaning. “Did they file my teeth?”
Walking a student out to the van – “Hayden says you get to watch Tom and Jerry.” You do. “Cool, I love Tom and Jerry.”
We treated a student named Latigo. Dr. Heringer asked about his name, “My dad was a buckaroo and he liked the name. It’s part of a saddle.” With the sun shining we had internet access; we googled Latigo. We printed him a picture of a Latigo on the saddle, he was really pleased. And for those of you who aren’t in the know, the Latigo is the leather strap at the end of the cinch. It’s also mentioned in a Garth Brooks song that James shared with us.
And from a school official - “15 minutes in Jordan Valley is like a ½ hour in Western Oregon”
We had two brothers with dark brown stains on their front teeth. Drs. Goger and Peterson took care of them, an amazing difference. The next day the brother was in and shared that when his younger brother got home he said: “Look Mom white teeth!” The Superintendent also told us that it was a “life changing moment” for him. The boy lightened up, he was telling all the teachers. The faculty was not aware he was so self conscious about his stained teeth. They had discussed his change in a staff meeting that morning.
A parent and her son from Rockville came by to see the Tooth Taxi. They see a dentist regularly but had heard so much about us they wanted to check it out. The Mom re-iterated what a great service it was for the community.
Our last evening in town Dr. Heringer and I went to the restaurant to pick up sandwiches to go. Two young girls met us with hugs and offered us their hot tamale candies. The candies were wet, they had been cooling them off in glasses of water. One immediately took Dr. Heringer’s hand and said “I want you to meet my daddy, he’s upstairs.” The dad was working above the restaurant on some plumbing. He thanked Dr. Heringer for seeing the kids, said he hadn’t had any work for 10 months and that he tries to watch what the kids eat. He shook Dr. Heringer’s hand and thanked him for coming.
It’s not often we get to complete treatment on so many kids, but with a full dental team and smaller schools we were really able to make a difference. Treatment was completed on 37 of 40 kids seen in the van. Six students didn’t receive treatment - two pre-schoolers we screened and four students that parents cancelled cleaning appointments.
A final note sent by our school contact “Thanks again for coming and helping our students. There are great comments on your services floating around the community.”
Jordan Valley stats:
- 46 students screened
- 40 students treated in the van
- $25,140 value of free dental services provided.
Summary:
Tooth Taxi, September 2008 - May 7, 2009
- 2179 students screened
- 359 students received oral hygiene education in the classroom
- 968 students treated in the van
- $621,335 value of free dental services provided.
Fringe benefits of the job –mule deer (right outside the Basque Station motel window), pronghorn antelope, kestrel hawk, kingfisher, western grebe, golden eagle, hawks along irrigation pipelines, jackrabbits and unique rock specimens.
Next week on the road:
Tooth Taxi heads to Buff Elementary School in Madras.
Next weeks recap:
Grant County: Monument, Long Creek and Dayville.
Regards, Mary