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SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 10, 2016
Free dental work ‘From the Heart’ turns 30
B Y C ATHERINE J. R OURKE
For the Siuslaw News
F
olks in Florence will have
plenty of reason to smile on
Aug. 25, thanks to Wendy and
Charles Korando, DDS. While the
erosion of dental health coverage
takes a giant bite out of wallets
across the nation, the Korandos open
their practice doors and big hearts to
the local community with free den-
tistry each year.
“Our mission is to provide care to
the needy and alleviate their suffer-
ing,” Dr. Korando said. “We strive to
treat as many patients as possible
who cannot afford dentistry since the
current system places such a crush-
ing economic burden on them.”
According to the National Center
for Health Statistics, more than 130
million Americans — one-third of
the population — lack dental insur-
ance, including 27 percent of chil-
dren under 19 and 23 percent of sen-
iors over 65. Studies released last
year by the American Dental
Association Health Policy Institute
show that untreated dental diseases
have reached the highest level in
four decades, especially among
working adults ages 20 to 64, citing
high costs and lack of coverage as
the cause.
Dr. Korando found this silent epi-
demic “so deeply disturbing” that he
decided to do something about it
long before health care shortfalls
became a rallying cry at national
political conventions. Every year on
“From the Heart Dentistry Day,” he
and his wife, Wendy, a dental nurse,
along with their two sons — Ryan, a
denturist, and Nolan, a dental anes-
thesiologist — and their staff at the
Korando Dental Group provide free
dental services.
Founded as a 501c3 nonprofit
organization in 2008, “From the
Heart Dentistry Day” accommodates
approximately 50 to 80 individuals
each year with cleanings, extractions
and restoration work for 12 hours
nonstop, from 5 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“We take anybody,” Wendy said.
“People are lined up at the door and
some even camp out the night
before, so we put portable potties in
the parking lot. Many local business-
es donate their services to help make
this free dental day possible.”
“It’s so rewarding to see people
finally getting relief that we’re not
even exhausted at the end of the
day,” Dr. Korando said. “When you
give, you get so much back.”
From the day they opened their
local practice in 1985, the Korandos
dreamed of providing dentistry to
“marginalized and special-needs
populations” who cannot afford it.
They began offering free services on
Christmas Eve 30 years ago.
“We also wanted to teach our chil-
dren to give freely and compassion-
ately to their fellow man,” Wendy
said.
The Korandos estimate that, to
date, they have provided free treat-
ments valued at half a million dol-
lars to more than 1,500 patients. But
it took many years of hard work to
achieve that generous capacity.
“We knew dentistry was our des-
tiny,” Wendy said. “But we were so
poor and broke in the beginning and
started out with nothing.”
The aspiring dentist and student
nurse met at a party just one day
before he was drafted into the
Vietnam War. They corresponded
while Charles served in the 196th
Infantry Battalion and began dating
after he returned home.
They married a few years later
and will mark their 40th anniversary
this year.
PHOTO BY CATHERINE ROURKE
The Korandos will host their annual “From the Heart Dentistry Day”
on Thursday, Aug. 25, from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
“I took one look at Wendy and
knew she was going to be my wife,”
he said. “We had some tough times
and her support is the main reason
for my success. There’s material
poverty, which is temporary, but we
were spiritually wealthy and
believed in miracles.”
A huge miracle showed up one
Christmas Eve in the form of a
National Institute for Health Public
Scholarship for Charles.
“We were told he would never get
it,” she said. “But he did and it was
a Christmas gift worth $200,000.
That’s when I learned to never take
no for an answer.”
Upon graduation from Loma
Linda University School of
Dentistry, Dr. Korando spent three
years “working nonstop” as the only
dentist serving 15,000 people on the
Indian reservations of northeastern
Montana. He recalls sub-zero win-
ters and often treating “15 full boney
impactions before lunch.”
Then, the Korandos learned about
a practice for sale in Florence and
fell in love with its natural beauty.
“It reminded me of where I grew
up,” Dr. Korando said, referring to a
tiny farm community in Illinois.
“Florence has a small-town feeling;
you can know everybody and the
shopkeepers know you. I knew this
was where I wanted to raise my chil-
dren.”
Wendy worked as a registered
nurse at the local hospital and joined
the dental practice in 1992. The cou-
ple volunteered for Rotary-spon-
sored dental missions to Mexico and
then decided to bring them home.
“We realized our true mission was
in our local community,” Wendy
said. “The desperate, heart-wrench-
ing need for dental care for hundreds
of underserved people right here is
staggering. Our event helps relieve a
crushing demand for compassionate
dentistry.”
“This isn’t just about teeth; it’s about
the heart,” Dr. Korando said. “We’re
acknowledging people, alleviating suf-
fering and turning lives around.”
In some cases, the Korandos have
even saved them. By checking vital
signs and identifying dental infec-
tions spreading to other parts of the
body, they have referred patients to
the hospital in the nick of time.
Their goal is to expand the event
with more frequency to a wider
region and establish an oral surgery
center with reduced costs, especially
for youth and children.
“We aim to fill the gap between the
destitute and the insured,” Dr. Korando
said. “Why should just those who can
pay cash or have great insurance be the
only ones with a healthy mouth and a
great smile? We need a health system
that prevents people from falling into
the cracks.”
The Korando Dental Group is
located at 1705 W. 22nd St. Grab
your sleeping bag and get in line for
the upcoming event — no tooth-
brush necessary since the staff will
have plenty on hand. Meanwhile, Dr.
Korando offers this advice: “A piece
of floss is the best dental insurance
at just $1.98.”
______________________
Catherine J. Rourke is an award-
winning writer, journalist and book
editor who teaches creative writing
at the Florence Regional Arts
Alliance. She may be contacted at
CJReditor@gmail.com.
Prevent heat illness while working in hot weather
As temperatures rise this
summer, Oregon Occupational
Safety and Health Administra-
tion (OSHA) encourages
employers and workers in con-
struction, agriculture and other
labor-intensive activities to
learn the signs of heat illness
and focus on prevention.
Exposure to heat can lead to
headaches, cramps, dizziness,
fatigue, nausea or vomiting,
and even seizures or death.
From 2011 through 2015, 28
people
received
benefits
through Oregon’s workers’
compensation system for heat-
related illnesses (at least three
days away from work).
“Workers in Oregon tend to
be more likely to suffer from
heat-related illnesses, because
they’re used to working in mild
weather and often not acclimat-
ed to this type of heat,” said
Penny
Wolf-McCormick,
health enforcement manager
for Oregon OSHA. “That’s
why it’s especially important
for employers to provide drink-
ing water, offer shaded places
for workers to take breaks, and
to watch for signs of trouble.”
Here are some tips for pre-
venting a heat-related illness:
Perform the heaviest, most
labor-intensive work during the
coolest part of the day.
Use the buddy system to
monitor the heat.
Drink plenty of cool water
— one small cup every 15 to 20
minutes.
Wear light, loose-fitting,
breathable clothing, such as
cotton.
Take frequent short breaks
in cool, shaded areas — allow
your body to cool down.
Avoid eating large meals
before working in hot environ-
ments.
Avoid caffeine and alco-
holic beverages (these make the
body lose water and increase
the risk of heat illnesses).
To help those suffering from
heat exhaustion:
Move them to a cool, shad-
ed area. Do not leave them
alone.
Loosen and remove heavy
clothing.
Provide cool water to drink
(a small cup every 15 minutes)
if they are not feeling sick to
their stomach.
Try to cool them by fanning
them. Cool the skin with a
spray mist of cold water or a
wet cloth.
If they do not feel better in
a few minutes, call 911 for
emergency help. Certain med-
ications, wearing personal pro-
tective equipment while on the
job and a past case of heat
stress create a higher risk for
heat illness.
Heat stroke is a more severe
condition than heat exhaustion
and can result in death.
Immediately call for emer-
gency help if you think the per-
son is suffering from heat
stroke.
Employers can calculate the
heat index for their worksite
with the federal OSHA heat
stress app for mobile phones.
The tool is available at
w w w. o s h a . g o v / S LT C / h e a t
ill ess/heat_index/heat_app.htm.
Realtors plan food drive Aug. 13
Saturday, Aug. 13, from 10
a.m. to 4 p.m., will mark the
Central Oregon Coast Board of
Realtors second annual com-
munity food drive in coopera-
tion with the local Florence Bi-
Mart store. Everyone is
encouraged again this year to
stop by Bi-Mart and make a
generous contribution to this
important community effort.
All food contributed will be
presented to Florence Food
Share for distribution among
the members of the Florence
community.
In addition to food, financial
gifts toward hunger can be
given to Realtors present at Bi-
Mart.
Florence Food Share can
provide three meals for every
single dollar contributed at the
food drive.
Denture Services, Inc.
• Dentures
• Partials
• Relines
• Repairs
• Immediate Dentures
• Implant Retained Dentures
How To Participate
The fee to participate is $20. An ad for the Community Wide Garage Sale with a map of
all participating sales will be published in the Siuslaw News on September 7th and 10th.
Because of print deadlines, the registration deadline is 5pm August 30 2016.
You will also receive two offi cial Community Wide Garage Sale signs as well as a tip
sheet on how to have a great sale. Please post signs only on private property with the
owner’s consent. Posting signs on City utility poles, street or signal light poles, and
median strips is against the municipal code.
Additional maps will be available at the Florence Visitors Center and the Siuslaw News.
Name _________________________________________________Phone____________________________
Address___________________________________Email__________________________________________
Subdivision name (if any) ____________________________________
Dates (CIRCLE):
Emergency appt. available
• Same Day Reline & Repairs
0% Financing available OAC
William A. Foster, L.D
Denture wearer
Sherry
Offi ce Manager
William A. Foster, L.D.
“Locally Owned and Operated”
www.DentureServicesInc.com
Denture Services, Inc.
524 Laurel Street, Florence • 541-997-6054
Saturday 9/10
Sunday 9/11 Times:
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15-word description:
Add’l
FREE CONSULTATIONS
Friday 9/9
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Date, times and address are included. Additional words over 15 are $0.50 each.
Bring form and payment to 148 Maple St in Historic Old Town or
mail to Siuslaw News PO Box 10, Florence, OR 97439
Call 541-902-3526
Online www.fl orencechamber.com
Deadline is August 30th at 5pm to be included on the map.