ODF Sound Bites

News and notes

2010-04-02T07:30:00.000-07:00

Here's a new way to make money for the Mobile Dental Care Program!

Polly van der Glas from Melbourne, Australia is producing these works of art for sale. According to her website, human teeth are hard to come by. I'd say healthy human teeth are probably pretty hard to come by. Our mobile dental jewelry wouldn't look quite so...clean, and, well, caries free.

On a more cheerful note, here is a picture drawn by one of our happy customers!

Matt is now our official photographer

2010-02-18T07:26:00.001-08:00

Staff member Matt Guffey is sending back some great pics from the panhandle area!

Notes from the Road

2010-02-17T13:02:00.000-08:00

From Andy Ekdahl…

Photo by Matt Guffey
Well it's my 1st time to the panhandle in about two years and Matt's first time ever! So far, so good and we have two more days of treatment scheduled. I thought I'd let you know what's been going on! We had a 14+ hour day yesterday, working in Cherokee all day and then driving out to Guymon. This morning we finally got to see the northwestern part of Oklahoma called "The Panhandle" since the sun was down when we came in last night. One can’t help but travel back in your mind to a time when buffalo roamed freely out here, travel was done by horse and wagon and bandits were more than legends from long ago.

Photo by Matt Guffey

We were amazed with how much snow was left over from their snow storm two weeks ago that dumped around 20" of snow! The odd thing was that it seemed to be random where the snow remained: one field was dry and the neighboring field still covered. The really exciting thing? Two camels outlined against the horizon as we drove out to Boise City! That's right, camels. Last I checked those things live in Africa, India and Asia but there they were sharing the field with the buffalo! As we got further and further out here we saw herds of pronghorn and even a lone...wolf? I don't know, it seemed too grey to be a coyote, but who knows, it's Oklahoma!

On the Road...

2010-02-11T11:12:00.000-08:00

So I'm on my way to Austin to look at some new mobile dental units. That's exciting. Except the weather in Texas is terrible and I'm stuck in Houston waiting for things to clear up in Dallas. It's all one big puzzle or game of chess.

Anyway, funny story. On my way out of Oklahoma I got stopped at security for having something suspicious in my carry on. I couldn't image what could possibly be suspicious until they pulled out a shade guide. I'd forgotten I had it in my computer bag. I don't even know why I had it in my computer bag.

I guess it does look a little weird, right there next to my Vitamin water and lame novel. They were pretty quick to understand what it is used for and that it wasn't dangerous. Actually, I think they were trying to impress the boss man who was passing through at the time and checking to make sure they were doing their job. They did. The world is now a little safer. And the security dude could use some bleach, judging by a quick comparison with the shade guide.

One exciting thing, other than getting to check out brand new mobile units in hopes of replacing the 5th wheel we just sold. This blog was nominated for a 2009 Okie Blog Award. If you have an Oklahoma blog or know someone who does, vote for us in the Best Business Related Blog category. Click here to see the voting guidelines. You must be an Oklahoma blogger to vote.

OKMOM 2010 Is History!

2010-02-08T14:56:00.000-08:00

The first Oklahoma Mission of Mercy is over, the portable chairs are off to another state, the mobile dental unit is back in its home. More than $850,000 in free dental work was performed Friday and Saturday at the Tulsa Convention Center. 1,800 people benefitted from the two-day event.

I don't know about the rest of the volunteers, but my feet hurt! It was worth the 3:00a.m. wake up calls on Friday and Saturday and the very long days.

The 2011 OKMOM will be held in Oklahoma City. I think a lot was learned at this event and the next one will go even more smoothly. Kudos to everyone involved!

Dental assistant Kimberly Kennedy and Dr. Justin Beasley work on a patient in the Tulsa Convention Center during the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy on Friday.

Photo from the Tulsa World.

Setting up for OKMOM

2010-02-04T18:51:00.000-08:00

Dr. Jeannie Bath has been giving tours of the mobile unit all day to volunteers as they help set up for the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy. Tomorrow is the big day! The first OKMOM.

See you at OKMOM

2010-02-04T10:03:00.000-08:00

The van got an on-site wash last night before pulling into the Tulsa Convention Center for the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy. We hope to see many of you there!

What do ice and snow and a winnebago have in common? Nothing!!

2010-01-27T07:16:00.001-08:00

Ice and snow and a dental office on wheels do not mix! The mobile dental unit is on its way to Woodward today for an event coordinated by Dr. Teri White. Thank you Dr. White and staff for putting all the hard work into serving your community. Hopefully the Winnebago can get back to OKC and tucked into its warm storage place late tonight before the next winter storm hits.

Remember you can see all of our volunteer opportunities from Volunteer Squared. And if, like Dr. White, you have something specific in mind for your community, just give us a call at 405-241-1299 to talk it over.

Hope to see many of you at the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy on February 5&6!

New Year, new stuff

2010-01-14T08:42:00.000-08:00

Can I just say I get excited about things like new tires on the Mobile Dental Van? Having a flat tire in the dark, in the middle of the countryside does not make me a happy camper. So the gift of four new tires makes me happy!! We also got a new radio the replace the one that got fried for some unknown reason, a new arrangement up front in the "reception" area, a new computer, and, tah dah! A Nomad portable x-ray unit. Many thanks to Delta Dental of Oklahoma for funding those much-needed improvements.

It's because of your support and volunteerism plus the funding from Delta Dental that we were able to see exponentially more patients in the last four months of 2009. Look at these numbers!

cute, cute, cute

2009-12-15T08:35:00.000-08:00

I couldn't resist sharing these cute pics. Our little patients make our days very entertaining!!

SOTC in Ardmore

2009-11-23T07:44:00.000-08:00

The Hygiene students at Southern Oklahoma Technology Center hosted the Mobile Dental Van for the day on Saturday, November 21st. They did an outstanding job of preparing for the day and keeping things running smoothly.

This little guy was talking non-stop until I turned on the video...then it's was all shyness.

Meet Matt Guffey

2009-11-01T06:50:00.000-08:00

The ODF is getting rave reviews about our newest staff member, Matthew Guffey. Matt graduated from the University of Oklahoma with a degree in zoology and accounting and will complete a Master's in Public Health from OU in May 2010. Matt is a life-long resident of Oklahoma and an avid skier.

Matt is the Lead Dental Assistant on the Mobile Dental Van, providing chairside assistance to the dentists and keeping everything organized and running smoothly. Matt is interested in Dentistry as a career and has applications in at several dental schools. We wish him the best of luck!

It's not all roses out there

2009-10-07T08:08:00.000-07:00

Notes from the road...from Andy Ekdahl, Mobile Dental Services Coordinator...in case you think this job is easy - or boring!!!

September 16 - Migrant Head Start in Ft. Cobb

So since it's a slow day, we have had to enjoy the more simple things in life. This was in the bathroom. I have never heard the word "toileting" or "sensory play".

"Today's lunch"

From Oct 7...

"So we seriously got to Atoka at 2:00 a.m....That makes yesterday a 15 hour day. Can I even log that many hours in a day? It's kind of a long story, but we had a bridge out on one road and another road was covered in water."

And from the day we cleaned out the storage unit where the mobile unit is stored. Andy and Matt drew the short straw and had to take the garbage to the dump...

"We had to wear hardhats and vests...I wonder who else has been wearing this hat."

What does Dr. Beasley, Pete's Place and great ideas have in common?

2009-08-19T15:13:00.001-07:00

Here's an idea for a staff outing. Pick a part of the state you think would be fun to visit, recruit your staff by offering them dinner out after volunteering on the mobile dental van, and give us a call. That's exactly what Dr. Justin Beasley did last Friday. Pete's Place in Krebs was his ultimate destination and he brought along hygienist Patti Jones, assistant Kim Kennedy, and staff member Shirley Arnn. The Caring Hands Community Clinic in McAlester benefited from their good work. Thanks to all for their willingness to travel. I just hope they ordered the toasted ravioli.

In the News

2009-08-14T12:42:00.000-07:00

The Mobile Dental Van recently visited Laverne, Beaver and Guymon in a steady roll westward! Kristi Love, RDH was her usual efficient self in organizing the tour. We got a mention in the local paper.

http://www.guymondailyherald.com/content/view/149574/27/

Speaking of Guymon, our frequent volunteers Drs. Kurt and Daryl Gibson made the news back in January. A dental dynasty is nearing an end. We'll miss Dr. Kurt! But we're looking forward to many more volunteer outings with Dr. Daryl.

http://www.guymondailyherald.com/content/view/122389/27/

Dr. Miranda Ruleford of Bixby is a frequent volunteer and will be joing Bright Smiles in Tulsa this coming October. Congratulations to Dr. Ruleford.

http://www.brightsmilesoftulsa.com/staff.html

Speaking of Bixby, we're thrilled to have Dr. Lindsay Smith as our new Access to Care Committee Chair. He's off to a great start. Dr. Smith orchestrated our visit to the Bixby Community Center a year ago.

http://odfsoundbites.blogspot.com/2008/06/bixby-ok.html

And last, we were thrilled to be part of the Back to School Medical Mission at New Heights Church in Owasso. This was our third year and these folks are always very organized.

Andy tied the knot...

2009-08-11T09:13:00.000-07:00

ODF Staff member Andy Ekdahl got married recently! Here's a link to a fun video trailer from their beautiful outdoor wedding. The very talented Jonathan Meisner produced their video. You might recognize his name from our volunteer recruiting video.

http://www.jonathanmeisner.com/?p=186

Way to go Andy!

Recognition

2009-08-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

I've been hanging out with Barry a lot lately.

OK, not really. But Kristin and I did get to have a photo op with Mr. Barry Switzer when the ODF won the Partnership Award from Schools For Healthy Lifestyles. We value our partnership with SHL and were thrilled to be part of their awards night.

Dr. "Buddy" Benson received the Adopt-A-Dentist award. Very deserving!

Finished Product

2009-07-07T12:54:00.000-07:00

This new wrap is fantastic and better represents our target maket. Great job to all!

San Fran!

2009-07-06T09:34:00.000-07:00

I (Kristin) recently had the opportunity to attend the Advanced Volunteer Management Institute in beautiful San Francisco! It was great to meet other volunteer managers from around the world, as well as learn ways I can better serve our wonderful Mobile Dental Van volunteers! Below are a few pictures from the trip:

This is me with Tony Goodrow, President of Volunteer2. Tony is somewhat of a celebrity here at the ODF! We began using his volunteer management software this spring, and have had a great response from our volunteers! If you haven’t created your volunteer profile yet, please go to http://www.okdf.org/ and click on "Volunteer." You’ll be glad you did!

Riding a cable car! All smiles....

...until I realized how steep the incline was on the way DOWN.

(Is it just me, or do I look like a cartoon character???) Very fun!

And finally, as a child of the 80's, this was one of the highlights of the sight-seeing portion of the trip….visiting the "Painted Ladies," the homes seen in the intro to “Full House”! (My enthusiasm apparently scared away the guy in the corner of the picture...oh well.) Be jealous. Be VERY jealous:I had fun and learned ALOT! Please feel free to contact me with feedback on how we can better serve you. Hope to see YOU on the van soon!

~Kristin

Email: kvineyard@okdf.org; Phone: 405.241.1299.

It's a wrap!

2009-06-26T09:28:00.000-07:00

The Winnebago is getting a new look this week. The old wrap is coming off and a new, more colorful wrap is going on. It's very child-friendly and colorful. We're excited!!

Another satisfied customer

2009-02-23T09:59:00.000-08:00

This little cutie was treated on the Mobile Dental Van in a rural town in Oklahom over the weekend. Her daddy spent the past year in Iraq and was glad to be back doing what once seemed like mundane tasks such as taking his children to the dentist. Thanks to Dr. Brian Coerver, hygienist D'Nay Rowsey, and dental assistant Alicia Wilson, 17 children received dental care in an underserved rural part of our state.

You are a gift!

2008-12-18T09:16:00.000-08:00

Wow- where has two months gone? Well, let me tell you!

November started out in Garfield County, then up the road a bit to Cherokee. A couple of elementary schools in Oklahoma City, the Southwest Head Start Program in Altus and a visit to Coalgate finished up the month. December has included three days Riverside Indian School, a few more elementary schools, and the Head Start Program in Muskogee. Whew!

Today I'm traveling back up to Cherokee to finish up the month before we take a few weeks off from traveling to celebrate the holidays.

I hope you have a warm, blessed and joyful holiday. Thank you for the gift of your time and resources in 2008.

Super Heros

2008-10-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

Is it just me, or does Hygienist Charles Brucklier look like Bob from The Incredibles?

Charles did an excellent job as usual coordinating our visit to one of the Indian Health Services sites. This time we went to Perkins for a couple of day. We'll be working together at quite a few sites in 2009. He really will be a superhero to folks who have limited access to dental care!

Volunteer Coordinator Kristin Vineyard is off to a good start. We're glad to have her!

Kristin is coordinating the partnership between the Mobile Dental Van, the ODA's Adopt-A-Dentist program, and Schools For Healthy Lifestyles. Literally hundreds of children will receive care thanks to this program. Kudos to everyone involved. Kristin can be reached at kvineyard@okdf.org if you have any volunteering questions.

Atoka and Coalgate - Yeah!

2008-09-24T07:38:00.000-07:00

We had two successful days in Atoka and Coalgate recently. Thanks to these volunteers, we got a lot of work done at both sites!!!

Kyle McNatt DDS
Terie Chapman
Chasity Carper DDS
Penny Pannell RDH
Tracy Bates
Brian Coerver DDS
D'Nay Rowsey RDH
Kelly Short

Camera Shy

2008-09-24T06:59:00.000-07:00

We're working on a volunteer recruiting video, so recently we had a field day, got out of the office, and did some filming. New volunteer coordinator, Kristin Vineyard, acted as producer while Jonathan Meisner did the creative work, filming and directing. I'm excited to see the final product!

What's so funny?

2008-09-11T14:10:00.000-07:00

Not sure what dental assistant extraordinaire Steve Fowler is laughing at. Maybe that funny smell, or the fact that volunteer coordinator Kristin Vineyard was initiated by hitting her head twice on the pano while we were at Grace Rescue Mission. Or maybe he just was happy we were getting Jersey Mike's Subs for lunch. Steve's always in a good mood! AEGD dentists Adam Lukens and Halee Lesch got their first experience on the dental van also. They seemed to enjoy the day. They did an outstanding job with 15 patients showing few signs of regular dental care. Assistant Bobbie Pruitt (not pictured) was her usual efficient self. Always a pleasure!

ODF staff member Andy Ekdahl is off with the van to Atoka this afternoon. Hopefully the weather will hold out until he gets back. With incoming Hurricane Ike, it's hard to say how much rain southeast Oklahoma will get.

F.U.N. with A.E.G.D.

2008-09-04T09:48:00.000-07:00

We were at The ROC (Reaching Our City) in Oklahoma City Tuesday with two of the new residents from the Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) program at the OU College of Dentistry. Dr. Wendy Holder and Dr. Matt Cole were the brave dentists who got the year started off right.

The mobile dental van is back!

2008-08-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

Well, we had to cancel our visit to Porter last week since the dental van broke down on the way. But I did get to stop at Livesay's Peach Barn on my way by in a rental car. Good stuff! The good news is that the winnebago is repaired and ready to go again.

We had a great time in Tulsa at the Klothes 4 Kids event at John 3:16 Mission. The weather cooperated by cooling off a bunch. We had an outstanding group of volunteers!

Thank God for Checotah

2008-08-11T19:52:00.001-07:00

Driving between McAlester and Muskogee in a driving rain, I heard a pop, then the mobile dental van started to slow. I'm all, what the heck is going on. I was already past all of the Eufaula exits. Checotah was next, but still a painful 9 mile drive on the shoulder with flashers warning away speeding semi-trucks. So far I haven't been able to find a wrecker service able to tow this thing, so I checked into America's Best Value Inn at the truck stop and I'm waiting for daylight. I'll let you know if it is...you know...America's Best. For now I'm thankful the winnebago made it to a truck stop, and that the truck stop had a hotel nearby.

Back to School

2008-08-08T12:13:00.001-07:00

Back to school events are everywhere! All we are missing is the cool, crisp weather of fall. But even in this heat, kids are getting the things they need from caring people all over the state. The Mobile Dental Van participated in the back-to-school event at New Heights Church in Owasso on Wednesday. Dental care, eye exams, backpacks full of school supplies, haircuts... you name it, you could get it there before heading off to the first day of school.

http://www.newson6.com/global/story.asp?s=8800615

We are also heading to Tulsa on Saturday for the K4K (Klothes 4 Kids) event at John 3:16 Mission. We were there two years ago and were impressed by their organization and quality of aid given. Hopefully the heat will be kind. If you're in the area, come on over and help us hand out toothbrushes.

http://www.john316mission.org/

Best BBQ in Tahelquah

2008-07-24T07:22:00.000-07:00

After working hard all morning in Tahelquah, six of us went to lunch at the best BBQ in town, Fish's BBQ (105 E. Ballentine) is a little tin shed, formerly a garage I think, at the end of a gravel parking lot. You almost think you've come to the wrong place. But GO IN! It's amazing food. I ordered the Badwich- a sandwich piled with fried bologna, brisket, and a hot link. I kid you not. It's amazing. Add curly fries and you have an amazing, artery clogging, delicious meal. You have to go.

Fraction of conversation at lunch:

Tangy: Can we (the dental staff at Wilma P. Mankiller Indian Health Clinic) take your boat out on the lake with you sometime?
Dr. Looney: Sure, as long as it's not Saturday or daylight!

Migrant/Seasonal Head Start

2008-07-21T18:39:00.000-07:00

Dr. Robert Reyes, Dr. Heather Cox, Dr. Joshua Looney, Dr. Bryan Bratton, Sarah Marshall RDH, Ha-Le Tran RDH, Cindy Pierce RDH, Amy Armstrong, Christin Hitt...just to name a few who invested in the Migrant/Seasonal Head Start Program. I don't know about you all, but I had a rockin' good time, despite the 100 degree heat index. The staff from the Texas Migrant Council were amazingly organized, dedicated and hard working. And of course, the children were beautiful. They are why we do this after all.

Great Salt Plains State Park

2008-07-15T12:13:00.000-07:00

Marsha Price, Lead Dental Assistant who traveled with us to Cherokee, took these photos at the Great Salt Plains State Park. Thought I'd share.

Cherokee

2008-07-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

Karen Hawkins about Cherokee: "You can watch a dog run away for four days from here."

Karen is the former Mayor of Cherokee and Chairwoman of the Great Salt Plains Health Center Board. She and husband Lon also own and run the Cherokee Inn and neighboring restaurant, Cherokee Station. We had a delicious meal at the Cherokee Station, including prime rib, which Karen and Lon raised. What else does this woman do! Oh, her father, Dr. Cole, was a dentist in OKC for many years.

The mobile dental van was in town for Friday and Saturday and we made quite a show, I think, with our big smiling winnebago, and staff and volunteers wandering around town with our logoed shirts and scrubs.

First Old Man: I feel old and tire today.

Second Old Man: Not me, I feel just like a baby.

First Old Man: How can you say that?!

Second Old Man: I don't have any hair or teeth, and I just peed my pants.

A little joke told to us by one of Cherokee's friendly senior citizens while we enjoyed our breakfast at Ms. Dottie's Diner.

Of course, there were the usual heart-breaking dental cases. One woman ran out of gas in Alva on her way to her appointment. An oil field worker picked her and her husband up off the side of the road and brought them to Cherokee. We did what we could for her, but she has a serious bone infection and needs to see an oral surgeon. Unlikely to happen since she has no money for gas to get home, or the pain pills prescribed to ease her suffering, much less for a trip to the oral surgeon. The same friendly saviour offered to take them back to their stranded car. People are just that nice in the Cherokee Strip.

Many other adults with rampant decay who haven't set foot in a dentist's office for decades. One 40-something man thought his last visit to the dentist was probably in 7th or 8th grade. Dr. Baguidy, a public health dentist working on the van for both days, likened the dental conditions of the patients to a third world country. I assured her I see the same all over the state, not just in this county.

Gunk

2008-06-27T06:37:00.001-07:00

The Winnebago is in the shop getting some fine tuning, and I'm taking all of next week off! Yay! The tank that holds the gunk that gets sucked up with the vacuum from the surgical suction and saliva ejectors is in need of repair. Actually, it's the hose that connects the vacuum to the holding tank. It came loose and "gunk" leaked all over that compartment. Eeewww! So it's in the shop getting the hose reconnected and a new release valve put on the tank so it's less disgusting to empty. Hopefully it will be a more pleasant experience. In my family I'm the one who has to clean up the dog barf and take care of sick kids. Apparently at the ODF I'm the one who has to empty the worst of the three waste tanks :)

On July 7th we're off to Tahlequah to serve the children at the Migrant and Seasonal Head Start Program. I REALLY need to learn Spanish.

Bixby, OK

2008-06-24T11:39:00.000-07:00

Saturday I left OKC at 6:30 a.m. with assistant Angela DeLong, on my way to Bixby, OK. My mistake was relying on the lady inside my GPS - the one who tells me to "take the motorway". Who says that anyway? So she leads me to NORTH Tulsa and everyone knows Bixby is south of Tulsa. This made me very late and I hate being late. It takes awhile to unbungee and set up, and patients were waiting. So were the awesome Dr. Lindsay Smith and Dr. Miranda Ruleford. And the equally amazing assistant, Jamie Wooten. We saw 11 patients and provided treatment of over $8,000! Dr. Smith had done all the screening in advance, so when the patients arrived we were ready to roll.

We grabbed lunch at the apprently world famous Scotts Old Fashion Burgers, right there on Dawes in Bixby. It was just a block down from where we had parked the dental van. REALLY good burgers, tots and curly fries. Not on my plan for healthy eating, but worth it.