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A4 • Friday, October 25, 2019 | Seaside Signal | SeasideSignal.com SignalViewpoints Dental van grows through ‘word of mouth’ A PATIENT’S TESTIMONIAL SEEN FROM SEASIDE Q: What’s your name? R.J. MARX Drake: Joel Drake — J.D. Q: Where do you live? Drake: Seaside. S ay “cheese!” For those without resources for dental health, a big smile can be a source of anxi- ety. In Seaside, there is an option for those without dental insur- ance or in economic distress. With Medical Teams International and Providence Seaside’s patient nav- igator, Justin Abbott, the Healthy Smiles program offers free dental care for children and adults. On the day of my visit, two dental chairs in the van were occu- pied and patients were scheduled throughout the day. Through September, in Sea- side alone the van has seen 197 patients and provided more than $112,000 worth of dental care to patients. In 2017, the van performed more than 1,000 procedures; this year as of Oct. 1, that number stood at 664. The van averages about eight patient visits a day, Abbott said. Patients often fi nd out about the van at health fairs like Seaside’s annual “Homeless Connect,” on recommendations from friends, or on a walk-in basis. Patients must meet the follow- ing requirements: a family income less than 200% of the federal pov- erty line; no private insurance; and no realistic ability to pay for or access urgent dental care — treating symptoms including den- tal pain, swelling, tooth decay or infection. Based in Tigard, 12 vans travel to hospitals, churches and rehab facilities throughout the North- west as far north as Canada and as far south as California. On-site patients will fi nd a den- tist, dental assistant and some- times a hygienist, dental program coordinator Kristi Nolan said. Nolan said patients are often in “dire need” of medical treatment, requiring numbing, extractions and antibiotics. Since the van is always moving from place to place, ongoing treatment must be coordinated at the van’s other locations, including Portland. Q: What does the dental van mean for you? Drake: It means fi xing the old teeth that are breaking down. Q: Do they give you good care? Drake: Yeah. They’ve had to pull out a couple (teeth). Q: Do other people in the com- munity know about it? R.J. Marx Kristi Nolan, Dr. Scott Santos and Alyssa Oja inside the Medical Teams International dental van. Providence Seaside Hospital Foundation Providence Healthy Smiles Coordinator Justin Abbott. Seaside’s Dr. Scott Santos is one of several local dentists — with Dr. Jon Bletscher of North Coast Dental, Astoria’s Jeremiah Shakespear, and Dr. Bryce Evans of Seaside Dental Clinic — to donate their time and services to the program. “We’ve been involved with it for about 15 years,” Santos said between dental van patients. “It’s a way to give back a little bit our time, our services to patients that don’t always have the resources or abilities to take care of some of their basic dental needs.” W A CONSTANT STRUGGLE Eve Marx Dr. Ana Hilde is a child and adolescent psychiatrist with OHSU; Dr. Safi na Koreishi is medical director with Columbia Pacifi c CCO. Both women spoke at the 2019 Columbia Pacifi c Opioid and Substance Use Summit. child and adolescent psychiatrist with OHSU. Dr. Hilde told the shocking story of her own addic- tion to heroin while she was in medical school. A big takeaway from Dr. Hilde’s story is that people do relapse. The road to recovery isn’t easy. There will be setbacks. At a breakout session intro- ducing and explaining “CRAFT,” which stands for Community Reinforcement and Family Train- ing given by Cordelia Kraus, a psychotherapist with Vital Space LLC, I learned expecting com- plete abstinence from opioid use may be setting the bar too high. Reducing use over the long run may actually be enough. Kraus said that 9.4 percent of Orego- nians struggle with substance abuse, and for every person who struggles, four of their friends, family members or co-work- ers are being impacted. The goal of CRAFT training is motivating PUBLISHER EDITOR Kari Borgen R.J. Marx CIRCULATION MANAGER Jeremy Feldman ADVERTISING SALES MANAGER Sarah Silver-Tecza MULTIMEDIA ADVERTISING REPRESENTATIVE Kim McCaw families to change their approach how they respond to their addict loved ones. Positive phrasing, offering understanding statements, and being specifi c in praise when something goes right or is well done is more effective than tough love. At a seminar on chronic pain called, “Why Do People Use Drugs?” Dr. David Labby, a health strategy advisor with Health Share of Oregon, said there is a fi ne line between medically treat- ing a patient in pain and making them dangerously numb. Child- hood emotional abuse is a signif- icant factor why people use, as is depression. I learned doctors are prescribing Benzodiazpines, com- monly called “benzos,” a class of psychoactive drugs, more than ever, and the strength of these nar- cotics has increased precipitously. Dr. Labby remarked that increased access to medical care has in fact infl uenced how many people use. PRODUCTION MANAGER John D. Bruijn SYSTEMS MANAGER Carl Earl CONTRIBUTING WRITERS Skyler Archibald Darren Gooch Joshua Heineman Rain Jordan Katherine Lacaze Eve Marx Cara Mico Esther Moberg They’re awesome, their service is great. Where else can you get help like that that’s profession- al? Not around here. He said he often sees people who haven’t had dental care “for a long time.” “We take it on a case-by case basis,” Santos said. “We see what the situation is, anything from fi ll- ings to gum issues, infections. We can’t treat the entire mouth — unfortunately if we had the time we could.” Volunteering is a great way to help patients, Santos said. “The goal for all of us in the profession is to help people and get people feeling better. Our area happens to be in the mouth.” Dental assistant Alyssa Oja seconded that. “It defi nitely makes you feel good to get people out of pain and help them feel better,” she said. The team envisions a time when the van could visit Seaside more often. “We’re here every couple of months, four times a year,” Nolan said. “So I think it would be good to have it once a month, for people who have a hard time accessing medical care and dental care, peo- ple on Medicare who don’t have dental plans. “That’s the reason a lot of peo- ple avoid dental care, because From the front lines of the opioid crisis hile I am very aware there is an opioid crisis, I’d be the fi rst to admit I don’t know squat about the cur- rent thinking regarding opiate addiction treatment. The last time I checked, it was all about tough love, incarceration, and success narrowly defi ned by a person giv- ing up all use. So I was eager to attend the 2019 Columbia Pacifi c Opioid and Substance Abuse Summit held last week at the convention center. The vision of the summit was to develop a trauma-informed network for all substance use dis- orders, ensuring timely and equi- table access, as well as reduc- ing stigma. The organizers also hoped to promote cross-organiza- tional coordination with a commu- nity already experienced in work- ing towards long-term recovery support. The summit was huge. The Necanicum Room was packed. Attendees and sponsors from OHSU, Legacy Health, the Rine- hart Clinic and Pharmacy, Colum- bia Memorial Hospital, Adventist Health, Providence Seaside Hos- pital, Tillamook Family Coun- seling, Tides of Change, Helping Hands and other support commu- nities were there, as well as a slew of medical personnel, treatment court coordinators, fi refi ghters, paramedics, and social workers. After a welcome and introduc- tion given by Dr. Safi na Korei- shi, medical director for Colum- bia Pacifi c CCO, and a moving presentation by Kerry Strick- land, chair and founder of Jordan’s Hope for Recovery, the audience listened in rapt attention to the recovery story of Dr. Ana Hilde, a Drake: I heard about it a year or two ago. I was just talking to a lady yesterday at Safeway and she was complaining about a cavity in her tooth after eating a candy bar. “I can’t aff ord to fi x that,” she said. I said, “You know, they have a free dental van.” She’ll probably look into that. I think it’s all word of mouth — what a thing to say! they don’t have the funds or the fi nances, and insurance is expen- sive,” she added. Nolan, who was heading to St. Helens next, said driving the van is like navigating a horse and buggy. “Bouncy! I have to strap everything down.” With cabinets full of equip- ment, organization is at top of mind. “When I fi rst started it was an hour set up an hour teardown,” Nolan said. “Now I can do it in 15 minutes.” As she travels around the region, she said she fi nds big rewards in her work. “Big smiles! It warms their heart,” Nolan said. “It’s very help- ful for people. I’m lucky to be able to come out here and help the community. For more information, call Providence Seaside at 503-717- 7174. For a list of mobile dental clinics throughout the state, visit www.medicalteams.org. PUBLIC MEETINGS Monday, Oct. 28 Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. 9.4 percent of Oregonians struggle with substance abuse, and for every person who struggles, four of their friends, family members or co-workers are being impacted. Tuesday, Oct. 29 I learned women are clos- ing the gender gap for alcohol abuse, and scary as the opioid cri- sis is, the alcohol problem is even bigger. At a seminar led by Julianne M. Heuer, treatment court coordi- nator for Columbia County state courts, I learned poverty is the primary component as to who winds up in drug court. In Colum- bia County, coordinated treatment plans are available for nonvio- lent offenders who are substance abusers. Referrals to drug court come from probation offi cers, law enforcement, sometimes from the jails themselves. There’s a one- year program and an 18-month program. The longer you stay in the program, the better the out- come. The intention of drug court is not just to get non-violent offenders off drugs, but also to reunite parents with their children. I’m sorry I ran out of energy to attend the seminars on manage- ment of methamphetamine use; how to talk to adolescents about drugs; and housing support for people in recovery, which I think is an urgent and important issue. The main takeaway for me of the day was learning that when it comes to treating substance abuse, progress, not perfection, is the goal. Tuesday, Nov. 5 Seaside Planning Commission, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Wednesday, Oct. 30 6:30 p.m., Gearhart Planning Commis- sion and City Council, joint work session, 698 Pacifi c Way. Community Center Commission meet- ing, 10:30 a.m., Bob Chisholm Center, 1225 Avenue A, Seaside. Seaside Library Board, 4:30 p.m., Seaside Public Library, 1131 Broadway. Sunset Empire Park and Recreation Dis- trict, board workshop, Bob Chisholm Community Center, 1225 Avenue A, Sea- side. Wednesday, Nov. 6 Seaside Improvement Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Gearhart City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 698 Pacifi c Way. Thursday, Nov. 7 Seaside Parks Advisory Committee, 6 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Monday, Nov. 11 Seaside City Council, 7 p.m., City Hall, 989 Broadway. Thursday, Nov. 14 Seaside Convention Center Commission, 5 p.m., Convention Center, 415 First Ave. Gearhart Planning Commission, 6 p.m., City Hall, 698 Pacifi c Way. Tuesday, Nov. 19 Seaside School District Board of Direc- tors, 6 p.m., 1801 S. Franklin, Seaside. Seaside Planning Commission, 7 p.m., work session, City Hall, 989 Broadway. Seaside Signal Letter policy Subscriptions The Seaside Signal is published every other week by EO Media Group, 1555 N. Roosevelt, Seaside, OR 97138. 503-738-5561 seasidesignal.com Copyright © 2019 Seaside Signal. Nothing can be reprinted or copied without consent of the owners. The Seaside Signal welcomes letters to the editor. The deadline is noon Monday prior to publication. Letters must be 400 words or less and must be signed by the author and include a phone number for verifi cation. We also request that submissions be limited to one letter per month. Send to 1555 N. Roosevelt Drive, Seaside, OR 97138, drop them off at 1555 N. 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