Dr. Susan Weinberg and her office team swarmed the Tooth Taxi for an afternoon at the Community Transitional School in Portland on April 12th.
Dr. Weinberg, assistant Tanya Barton, Lourinda Arnold RDH, office staff Kim Quest and Meleen Gragert, joined by assistant intern Marina Roslyak.
Here is a bit of information about Tooth Taxi.
The Tooth Taxi is a state-of-the-art dental office on wheels, with two operatory units and a waiting room. It is a direct service project started in 2008 in response to the growing oral health crisis in Oregon. Unlike other dental vans, the Tooth Taxi has a full-time pediatric dentist and staff, and it spends up to four days at a time at schools providing screenings, cleanings, sealants, X-rays, fillings, minor oral surgery and oral health education for Oregon’s neediest children. This extra time in the community allows for comprehensive treatment of the most serious cases, and gives local dental volunteers an opportunity to make a meaningful difference.
The Tooth Taxi was created through a unique partnership and with the generous support of the OEA Choice Trust and ODS. It is a statewide program that will help over 3,000 schoolchildren each year and provide close to one million dollars in free dental care annually.
The Tooth Taxi is fueled by donations from foundations, corporations and individuals, and supported by volunteers from the dental community and local schools that help identify children in need and work with Tooth Taxi staff.