photo by Kathleen Ballard
The January 13-14 Dental Van clinic on San Juan Island was a huge success. The team of local Dental Professionals logged 51 volunteer hours in two days, and completed over $12,900 worth of dental services on 28 individuals.
All this couldn’t have happened without the support of the San Juan County Oral Health Coalition, and the San Juan County Healh and Community Services, who worked together in coordinating this two-day clinic. The van is offered by Medical Team's International, and Mike and Annie Adams of Nichols Street Suites donated two night's accommodations for the van coordinator (and driver). And of course, Friday Harbor Marketplace graciously allowed the van to operate in their parking lot, and allowed the pre-screening of patients to be done inside in their employee break area.
The Fish for Teeth “Taco Team” served up 230 fish tacos in only 2½ hours of serving; everyone agreed the tacos were delicious. The rockfish was caught and donated by Matt Marinkovich of Matt's Fresh Fish, the cabbage was donated by Heritage Farm, and the salsa was donated by Pablito's Taqueria (the tacos also had cheese and a squeeze of lime, all wrapped up in a flour tortilla).
Of course, the van isn’t free. Medical Teams Iternational, who operate the van, charges a fee of $800 per day, for a total of $1,600 for the two-day clinic. Fish for Teeth paid for the van, but it couldn’t have happened without the support of the San Juan County Oral Health Coalition, and the San Juan County Healh and Community Services, who worked together in coordinating the event.
