– by Deborah Rogers –
What started as a desire to treat the many children lacking adequate dental care has become a reality for Sidney dentist Dr. Mitra Hashemi and retired School Principal Heather Burkett as co-Chairs of the ORCCA Dental Clinic Society. ORCCA (Oral Care for Children and Adolescents) and their friendly, toothy whale logo can now be found in their own clinic in the annex of Sidney Elementary School. With the purpose of providing children and adolescents under 19 years of age, from low-income families, with access to oral care in a not-for-profit setting, ORCCA stems from the belief that this demographic has the right to healthy oral care.
It would be hard to find anyone who disagreed with the principle that effective oral care positively transforms the health and lives of those under the age of 19. Yet the current Provincial healthcare system does not include oral care as part of the Medical Services Plan, and even the Healthy Kids Program, for very low income families, comes with a dollar restriction on work covered. Many families are falling through the cracks of the system, especially the “working poor” who are often without medical benefits at all. Children are suffering from pain, decay and dental disease due to poverty.
For the dentists volunteering their time and skills at ORCCA, there is disappointment in the system as a whole and shock at the levels of oral problems some children are suffering. The desire to see change has prompted many new recruits and Dr. Hashemi (above, third from left) was proud to introduce me to (as pictured left to right): Dr. Anna Wang, Dentist; Caroline Paterson, Treasurer; Dr. Jeremy King, Oral Surgeon; Dr. Vohn Rosang, Orthodontist; and Dr. Ron Walsh, Dentist, all of whom have offered their services on a regular basis to address the crisis in oral health that’s been recognized here on the Peninsula. Other dentists involved are Dr. Heather Cook and Dr. Peter Culligan.
Dr. Walsh told me of his shock at seeing the level of need in this affluent society, and made the point that many children are travelling from further up the island or from the Gulf Islands. One patient even booked an appointment from Richmond.
The increase in the number of dentists and dental experts involved in the project shows how the dental community is standing behind ORCCA. There are also volunteer hygienists on board. New since the clinic opened is a full-time Certified Dental Assistant, Lauren Hafey (above; seated), who has made all the difference to the efficient running of the clinic, providing a friendly face to new patients, reassurance to worried parents and qualified assistance to the dentists themselves.
Caroline Paterson explained how valuable all the donations they have received have been in establishing the two-chair clinic. There was support from across the community with special thanks to the Victoria Foundation, Norgaard Foundation, Telus, WestJet and Seaside Rotarians. What they have discovered now that they are seeing regular patients is that some families have multiple children with dental problems, and ORCCA is unable to meet all their needs. A new funding idea has been developed to address this, with donors being asked to sponsor a specific family or one child’s whole treatment, to ensure the work that has been assessed is completed.
The dentists recognize that what they are doing can be life-changing for a child and for the parents. People are incredibly grateful for the service and those generous volunteers and donors who have made it a reality.
To find out more and how to support ORCCA: www.orccadental.org.
