Page 24
The
Portland Observer Black History Month
February 9, 2011
H ealth MATTERS
Dental Van Helps Patients in Recovery
DePaul clients
get something to
smile about
perform ed procedures from fillings
to extractions in the rear o f the van.
M edical T eam s International has
a fleet o f 11 vans that operate in the
P acific N orthw est, from S eattle/
T aco m a to M edford. T he o rg aniza­
tio n p a rtn e rs w ith n o n p ro f its ,
schools, and churches to provide
dental services to those w ho w ould
not otherw ise be able to afford them -
the u n in su red , low in co m e and
hom eless.
T hanks to a new partnership be­
tw een De Paul T reatm ent C enters
and M edical T eam s International, a
m obile dental clinic m ade its second
visit to De P aul’s dow ntow n facility
last w eek.
W hile dental w ork is not what
m ost people think about in relation
to drug and alcohol treatm ent, the
M edical T eam s International M o­
bile D ental Van was appreciated by
m any o f the residential clients at De
Paul w ho do not have m edical insur­
ance or access to regular dental
care.
Inside the van, the M edical Team s
International team efficiently saw
11 clients. X -rays w ere taken in the
front o f the van, w hile the dentist
A mobile dental clinic
sponsored by Medical
Teams International makes
a stop at the DePaul drug
and alcohol treatment ■
center, downtown, providing
vital dental services to
people in need who would
not otherwise be able to
afford them.
M ed ical T e a m s In te rn a tio n a l
chooses to w ork with people in treat­
m ent as they realize that these people
have m ade a com m itm ent to ch an g ­
ing their lives for the better.
De P au l’s m ission is to create
freedom from drug and alcohol a d ­
diction, and the o rg an izatio n ’s p h i­
losophy is that all people have w ithin
them the innate strength and c ap ac­
i t y to recover. The non-profit has
operated in P ortland for o v er 30
years and w orks w ith a w ide range
o f people seeking treatm ent; m any
do not have health insurance and
som e are hom eless.
De P a u l's d ow ntow n location
provides residential and outpatient
alco h o l and d ru g tre a tm e n t for
adults, the De Paul Y outh and F am ­
ily C en ter in n o rth east P ortland
serves the youth population, and a
satellite office in H illsboro provides
outpatient treatm ent to adults in
W ashington C ounty.
Rethinking Psychiatry
Author to
discuss
challenges
KS00
Join us for an anointed Mirade Service! Come
receive your Miracle and your breakthrough!
New Song Community Center
2511NE MLK Blvd.
Corner of NE MLK Blvd and Russell Street
Doors open at 6pm for every service.
For directions or more information, call 503488-5481
or log on to wvtfw.mfhmportland.com
Jo u rn a list and a u th o r R o b ert
W hitaker returns to P ortland to dis­
cuss his latest book “ A natom y o f
an E pidem ic” and the im pact o f psy­
chiatric m edicine on people o f color.
W hitaker has pursued a fasci­
nating line o f research into how the
m am m oth psychiatric drug indus­
try is endangering the A m erican
public by covering up the untold
cases o f suffering, anguish and dis­
ease caused by the m ost w idely
p re s c rib e d a n tid e p re s s a n ts an d
antipsychotic m edications.
He will speak on T hursday, Feb.
10 at 1:30 p.m. at the O regon A sso­
ciation o f M inority E ntrepreneurs
(O A M E ),4 1 3 4 N . V ancouver, Suite
100.
T he intended audience is people
w ho live in o r support people o f
color com m unities, individuals w ho
are experiencing psychiatric o r b e­
havioral challenges and their fam i-
Robert Whitaker
lies, p ractitioners in the com m unit
such as p sy ch iatrist, physician*
psychologist, g erontologist, coun
selors, social w orkers, nurses, at
to m ey s, and ju d g es.
T h e ta lk is s p o n s o r e d b;
M entalH ealthR ightsY E S .org, Eco
nom ic J ustice A ction G ro u p o f Firs
U nitarian C hurch, E m pow erm en
Initiatives, M ental H ealth A m ericj
o f O regon, M ental H ealth A ssocia
tion o f Portland and Disability Right!
O regon.