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The third Shoulder to Shoulder dental clinic opened its doors in Intibucá, Honduras. The Dental Clinic in Concepcion had its “grand opening” on Monday, January 19th. On hand for the event were Art Ranz in the capacity of Chief Operating Officer, Larry and Jan Tepe, Dr. Don Sickler, and the newly hired Honduran dentist, Dr. Idalia Ramos, and Honduran dental assistant Erica. We were assisted by volunteers Marian Riestenberg and Wes Ledyard, both from Cincinnati. Committee members from the local organization Hombro a Hombro were present to help with greeting and registering patients. Thanks go to Larry Tepe’s advance work and attention to detail on a previous trip in October to install the four chairs and units. The work brigade continued for seven full days. This was the first visit to a dentist for 85% of patients. In addition to seeing patients, the US dentists helped Dra. Idalia, the Honduran dentist in understanding our philosophy of prevention, taught her how to use the dental materials brought to the clinic for her use, and set up an excel spreadsheet to keep track of her work and inventory of supplies. The dentists in the US will communicate with her at least monthly to track services completed, check on inventory, and help with problems as needed via internet. The Shoulder to Shoulder mission is very different from most dental missions in |
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Another Special Thanks… ...to Dr. Roy and Melanie Sanders, as well as Dr. Susie Kaye, Director of the Benjamin H.Josephson, M.D. Fund, for their personal and financial support that have made the new clinic possible. Just as important, thanks go to the large group of dedicated friends and dentists who continuously support the Shoulder to Shoulder Dental program with financial support. |
We would like to extend a very gracious thank you to Andy and Laura Morris who, in the fall, returned to the States to begin the next phase of their lives. While in Honduras during the past 2 years with their young son, Luke, they gave of their time and talents in more ways than most of us probably will ever realize. While Andy provided medical care, supervision to students at all levels, education to Honduran staff, and ‘maintenance’ of a myriad of things around the clinic, Laura kept herself busy not only caring for Luke but also coordinating programs in the library, teaching life skills classes to scholarship students, providing exercise and ESL classes for our Honduran staff, initiating Bible study groups with the women at church and raising funds to build a new library in Santa Lucia. Andy and Laura had incredible support from both of their families as well as many friends who helped make their stay in Honduras possible. On December 27th, Andy and Laura welcomed |
their second son, Gabriel John Morris into the world! They are all doing well in their new home in Hendersonville, NC. We wish them the best of luck in their new life and look forward to their continued involvement with Shoulder to Shoulder |
Please visit our Buca Java site to view our Valentine’s Day specials! |
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