Back on Her Feet

 

As a single mother with two sons at home, Maritza was struggling. The prosthetic hip she had was causing more pain and problems than it was helping and she was rapidly cutting her weekly work hours at a part-time cleaning job because she couldn’t endure the pain. Maritza didn’t know what to do as it was becoming more and more difficult to provide for her family. By the time she found Community Health Connect she had stopped working completely and relying on her church and network of friends to get by.

Maritza was connected with Dr Richard Jackson for an evaluation. He told her that surgery was the only option for her hip, which was disheartening to Maritza who still vividly remembered her previous surgery.  Forty-five year old Maritza was not ready for a second hip replacement. She still had memories of her earlier painful surgery running through her mind. She remembered the year it took her to recuperate, and the minimal pain it relieved.  She could not afford to go a whole year without working, let alone the other needs that would go unmet if she were in bed for that long. Dr Jackson explained that the process would be very different than the one she had experienced prior, and that she would be back on her feet in a few weeks, with almost normal movement in six months. He went out of his way to reassure her of the developments that had been made since her last surgery and he kindly gave her the name of one of his patients, a woman who had undergone the same procedure almost a year before, who could share details about recuperation time, physical therapy, and the emotional strain of such a procedure.

Maritza underwent surgery in October of 2007, today she is walking, even running a bit here and there—a feat she never would have dreamed possible a few years ago. She has no physical difficulties working her full-time stocking job at Wal-Mart, and is now more easily able to provide for her two sons at home. The surgery went well, and the recovery was much shorter and less painful than she had imagined—just as Dr Jackson had promised. Maritza is overjoyed with the state of her health and is very appreciative to all of those involved in her care. She gratefully thanks Dr Jackson for donating his surgical services, the physical therapists at Central Utah Clinic for the many donated sessions, Intermountain Healthcare for their donated facility and care, and her great friends and church members who helped babysit kids, bring dinners, and help her maneuver about the house while she was recuperating.

Maritza has a great spirit and positive attitude. She has an infectious smile and is a joy to work with. We were happy for the help we could coordinate for her, and for the providers who donated their valuable services.

Making a Difference in the World, One Patient at a Time

 

Dr. Heidi Heras is an exceptional physician. She is aware of and sensitive to her patients’ unique circumstances and treats them with kindness. One of her clients wrote: “Through Community Health Connect I had the blessing to get in touch with Dr. Heidi Heras’ office. She not only answered our questions with great professionalism, but also was willing to donate her time for surgery for our daughter.  We truly appreciate the sincere interest she and her staff showed in our case.”

Dr. Heras is willing to donate time, treatment, and money to relieve her patients. When asked why she enjoyed serving our clients without medical coverage, she humbly answered, “I love helping the community and helping children feel better.”  Dr. Heras was born and raised in Las Vegas, NV. Her hobbies are reading and learning new things. Her favorite ice cream flavor or dessert is anything chocolate or red mango. Her favorite pastime is traveling.

Since Dr. Heras joined the provider network with Community Health Connect in 2006, she continues to serve our community by helping all persons who enter her door.  She has known, since the age of 16, that helping others would become her profession. It is apparent that she continues to carry this understanding today. Through the eyes of Community Health Connect and every child she treats, Dr. Heras truly is an inspiration and is making a difference in the world one heart and patient at a time.

 

Alpine Dental Laboratory

 

Community Health Connect works with many dental labs that donate or heavily discount crowns, bridges, and sometimes even dentures for our patients.  Most of our labs donate one to two crowns a month and these contributions greatly add to the benefits we can offer patients.  We appreciate the work that all of our labs do, and this month we want to highlight Alpine Dental Laboratory.
   Alpine is well-known, well-regarded full service dental lab located in Lehi, Utah. Lab owner Mark Seiter has been working with Community Health Connect for many years, donating or offering discounts on crowns, partials, and even dentures to patients being seen through our Volunteer Provider Network.  Having Alpine Dental Lab as part of our resource team has been a huge advantage to CHC.  Our dentists are always pleased to find out Alpine will be providing the lab work for one of our patients because of the quality of services they provide. Their regularly updated website provides information on the extensive services they offer and the cutting-edge technologies they employ. Check out their website at www.alpinedental.com  Our many thanks go out to Mark, Debbie the Office Manager, and all of the Alpine lab techs and staff for the great service they are providing to the community through their donations to Community Health Connect!

Providers Performing Miracles

      

At age seven Karli Stoelk was diagnosed with Legg Calve Perthes.  Legg Calve Perthes is a degenerative disease of the hip joint, where growth/loss of bone mass leads to some degree of collapse of the hip joint and to deformity of the ball of the femur and the surface of the hip socket. Growing up with the disease, Karli was used to doctors’ offices, treatments, and hip pain. It began to be difficult for Karli to walk, getting  to the point where twenty three year old Karli had to use a cane to walk.  She met with Dr. Richard Jackson who recommended a total hip replacement surgery, a surgery not normally performed on people at such young age, but was necessary to help Karli maintain her mobility. 
   

  Karli had no medical insurance. Her husband was recently laid off and she was no longer able to work because of the pain in her hip. Dr. Jackson sent her to Community Health Connect to see if we could help minimize the cost of surgery.  Dr. Jackson offered to donate his services for the procedure, Karli began the paperwork required by Utah Valley Regional Medical Center, and a short time later, thanks to Intermountain Healthcare and Dr. Jackson, the surgery was successfully completed. 

     As with most orthopedic surgery, Karli required immediate physical therapy.  She needed a specific type of therapy that required a center with a variety of equipment, including a pool.  Luckily for Karli, just down the hallway from Dr. Jackson’s office is the Central Utah Clinic Physical Therapy center.  That center has three providers and a wonderful staff that are all part of Community Health Connect’s Volunteer Provider Network.  Brent Butler, a physical therapist happily donated his services and Karli was receiving top notch therapy care within a few days of the surgery.  We are extremely grateful to our doctors who volunteer so much time and resources to help people in our community receive the specialized medical care that can bless their lives.  We would all like to wish Karli the best of luck as she continues her physical therapy and doctor visits.  She has shown great persistence in overcoming this disease and recovering from this surgery.  We are all especially confident that Karli will be able to return to work and be ready and able for her life’s next adventure.  Thanks again to all those that have helped in any way with this wonderful case.

Darren Chamberlain, DDS

   

   Community Health Connect is privileged to spotlight Dr. Darren Chamberlain, a pediatric dentist in Utah County. Dr. Chamberlain is one of the many generous dentists who donate their time and expertise to help those in need. He has been volunteering with Community Health Connect as a way to give back to the community.

    Dr. Chamberlain has been practicing dentistry since 2002. He earned his bachelor’s degree from Brigham Young University and attended Virginia Commonwealth University for his graduate work. From there he moved to New York and did his pediatric residency at NYU. While in New York, he grew to love working with diverse patients, and volunteering with CHC has added to that love.

    Originally, Dr. Chamberlain did not want to be a pediatric dentist. He began dental school working with difficult patients in the pediatric clinic and swore to himself that he would never choose that specialty. However, during his pediatric rotations his talent for working with children manifested itself to his superiors and he was given many of the tougher children as patients. His experiences helped him realize that he had a unique aptitude for working with children. Today, he loves pediatric dentistry and has great respect for others in the field.

    Dr. Chamberlain was in charge of running Give Kids A Smile event in Orem, Utah. In just over five hours, he and over twenty other dentists were able to donate over $250,000 of free dental treatment to children without access to dental care. He feels that there is a great need in his own community, and addressing that need provides him with a unique sense of accomplishment. When asked what others could do to help out he replied, “Just do it. If you see a need, then address that need. You will get back much more than you give.” 

Dr. Ryan Van Moorlehem, DMD

 

 

 Community Health Connect has a long list of talented, generous, and friendly providers, and we have a Dental Specialty provider who has exceeded all our expectations. Dr. Ryan Van Moorlehem is a Utah native. He started his undergraduate degree at Dixie State and completed it at the University of Utah. He attended dental school at Boston University where he graduated Magna Cum Laude, and made the Dean’s list all four years. After practicing general dentistry for a couple of years in Salt Lake City, he decided his talents could be better utilized if he went back to school to specialize.  After completing his training in Boston, he returned to practice in Utah as an endodontist. In March of 2009, Dr. Ryan Van Moorlehem opened Alpine Endodontics in Spanish Fork.  Prior to this time the south end of Utah Valley had no endodontist.  “Alleviating pain and keeping the natural teeth are usually what my patients are most interested in and that is definitely top of my list,” says Dr. Van Moorlehem.

 Dr. Van Moorlehem has been anxious to help the less fortunate in the community from day one. He has already donated well over $2,000 of  dental care. Dr. Van Moorlehem feels it is important to give back to the community that has supported him in his business. “It isn’t just about the money, it is also about helping others and providing quality care to those less fortunate” states Dr. Van Moorlehem. It is tough to find such quality care givers who are as selfless as Dr. Van Moorlehem. We are extremely grateful and fortunate to have such a talented and caring provider for our ever expanding list of patients.

A Grateful Patient

The care coordinator over general surgery had been scheduling appointments and had asked a few of the patients to come in to apply for hospital financial assistance prior to their surgery. LeeRoy Lozano was scheduled to have surgery on a painful hernia that had been bothering him for over a year. He had been on the waitlist for quite some time, but walked in our doors with a smile on his face on the day of his entry appointment. He also brought his darling family with him and his two young daughters seemed very excited for their dad to have surgery and to be out of pain.

 

LeeRoy and his wife were very appreciative of Community Health Connect’s services and of Dr. Jennifer Tittensor for donating to his case. He said that he was very grateful for our help and the generosity of the doctor because without that assistance he would have had to live in his painful condition for many more years. He understood the importance and value of the gift that Dr. Tittensor was giving him and was eager to be the best patient he could. His wife too was very thankful for the surgeon’s willingness to donate to his case because his condition occasionally affected his ability to work and he was the sole provider for their family. She was anxious for her husband to feel well again. 

LeeRoy and his family were wonderful individuals to work with and it was a pleasure getting to know them. He quickly recovered from his surgery and is no longer in pain or discomfort. Many of the patients we work with on a daily basis express sincere gratitude for the services they are receiving and it is a humbling experience to work with them. We want to express our appreciation for Dr. Jennifer Tittensor and the rest of the wonderful surgeons at Utah County Surgical Associates for their generosity towards our patients each month. They are truly making a difference in the lives of individuals like LeeRoy and we are grateful for their service in the community.

Dr. Jennifer Tittensor

 

Dr. Jennifer Tittensor is a general surgeon who works with a wonderful team of surgeons and ancillary providers at Utah County Surgical Associates in American Fork.  She performs a wide variety of surgeries ranging from hernia repair to gallbladder removal. She has volunteered regularly with Community Health Connect for over five years and has helped over forty patients through our program alone.  One patient recalled Dr. Tittensor as the kindest doctor she had ever known. With her skills as a surgeon she has saved people from pain, heartache and literally saved lives.  Her main interest the last few years has been helping patients who are suffering from breast cancer. She and her husband Zach, an avid cycler have even started their own organization “Mountains for Mammograms” to help raise awareness about breast cancer and donate mammograms to women in need.  We appreciate the great surgeon she is, and recognize the asset she is to our community.  Thank you, Dr. Tittensor for your dedication and service.

Angus Dental Lab

A critical part of dental care is the hardware that is used in a patient’s mouth such as crowns, bridges, and dentures. Community Health Connect has several dental labs that volunteer with their program, working in tandem with the volunteer dentists to provide complete care to patients in need.  Angus Dental Lab is a family-owned and run operation.  Father and son team Rod and Aaron Angus are generous in the products and services they donate through Community Health Connect. The Angus’ are equal parts experienced craftsmen and cutting edge. They offer quality work with a name and a face. They are proud to stand behind their work and truly care about each client’s needs. When we asked Rod Angus why he decided to start donating, he replied, “This business has been so good to me; it’s my turn to give back.” True to his word, he has continued to donate generously.  He is always willing to take extra cases to help clients with desperate dental needs.

Thank you Angus Dental Lab for your generosity and commitment to helping put a smile on the faces of Utah County.

Francisco Sees Again

At Community Health Connect we have the privilege of seeing the lives of our clients blessed daily through the kindness of our volunteer providers and their staff.  One of the first miracles we saw came via Francisco Salas.  Francisco came to our office in June of 2009 with a referral to see an ophthalmologist.  He had been having some serious problems related to his vision, and he had been for some time. Francisco suffered from cataracts on both eyes that had slowly clouded his vision until he could barely see.  Unfortunately the need for ophthalmology services supersedes the available providers, so Francisco had to wait five months before we could get him an appointment with a volunteer ophthalmologist.

On Francisco’s first visit to Dr. Paul Olson’s office he was informed with little surprise that he was legally blind.  Dr. Olson decided that cataract removal surgery could help Francisco get his vision back, and we quickly went to work on making arrangements for the surgery.  Our network of providers includes doctors as well as facilities and ancillary care providers making it easier to connect patients to all of the services they need. With help from the devoted staff at Central Utah Surgical Center, Francisco was able to get the services at the surgical center and the anesthesia donated.  Dr. Olson, who also donated his time and services, was masterful in surgery and the procedure was a success. 

When Francisco returned to Dr. Olson’s office eight days post surgery, he had gone from being legally blind to having 20/40-20/30 vision. The remaining deficiencies in his sight could now be easily corrected with glasses.Many witnessed the miracle of a blind man seeing again. This amazing change was possible thanks to all of the many volunteers that assisted along the way.  From the office staff at Community Health Connect, the volunteer interpreters that helped Francisco and the doctors and staff effectively communicate, to the staff and anesthesiologist at Central Utah Surgical Center and Dr. Olson and his staff.  From Community Health Connect we send out a big thank you to all those who participated in helping Francisco get his vision back.  With the gift of sight, his quality of life will surely improve. Francisco looked forward to returning to work, enjoying reading, and watching his grandchildren play.  We are so happy for Francisco and grateful to be part of such a generous community.

 

Dr. Steven Call

Community Health Connect relies completely on goodwill of the doctors in our Volunteer Provider Network. Without their tireless contributions, we would be useless to the medically underserved community we are trying to empower.  We are particularly grateful to our one Rheumatologist, Dr. Steven Call.

Dr. Call has worked endlessly with his patients to get them the assistance they need.  He has been donating with Community Health Connect since January of 2009, and has continued the excellent charity care started by his father, Dr. Richard Call, in 2005. When his father recently retired, Stephen Call took on his father’s load of patients which has kept him very busy. With a recent influx of clients needing a rheumatologist, his service as the sole rheumatologist in our Volunteer Provider Network has been indispensable to our program.

One case that stands out as an exemplary model of Dr. Call’s tireless service is the woman he helped who was suffering from arthralgia of the lower back.  Arthralgia literally means joint pain. The pain she experienced as a result of her condition greatly decreased her ability to do everyday activities that were essential to taking care of her home and family.  Dr. Call not only donated her medical care, but he helped her receive the financial assistance necessary for her to be able to afford her medication.  This patient’s quality of life has greatly improved since she has received this treatment.  Thank you Dr. Call for your service to your community—it is greatly appreciated.          

Fluoride Varnishing Program Reaches Over 4,000 Children

According to an article by Amschler in the Journal of School Health, approximately 25% of US school-aged children have 75% of all dental decay, and almost 20% of children aged 2-4 have dental caries or cavities.  There have been studies that have shown that negative effects from oral health can affect the short-term and long-term life of a person.  Some of these effects can result in lasting physical, psychological, and developmental damage and lead to poor school attendance, lost productivity, worsened job prospects, and impaired nutrition. 

 

The dental varnishing campaign that is put on by Intermountain Healthcare and Community Health Connect (CHC) occurs twice a year in Utah County’s title one schools.  This campaign targets children with dental health needs and prevents dental decay through our semi-annual fluoride varnish program.  Dental assisting students from surrounding Mountainland Applied Technology College (MATC) schools come into the elementary schools to apply the varnish to the children’s teeth.  There are also Utah Valley University and Brigham Young University Pre-Medical students that come and volunteer during the vanishings as well.  In previous years we have had a school assembly where the UVU and BYU students perform educational skits for the entire elementary school.  Due to the time constraints and other issues we decided to hold off on the assemblies this year and just do the varnishing.  We still had the BYU and UVU volunteers educate the children as they waited in line. This year we made special efforts to utilize the school nurses at each varnishing.  We had the school nurse check suspected level 3’s and 4’s.  This helped us pinpoint the children that were in the most need of dental attention, and cut down on falsely identified level 3’s and 4’s.  In many schools we cut the list of children that needed continued dental care in half. This gave school nurses the ability to give more attention to the children that were really in need of additional dental care. Because of this, more correctly-identified children enrolled at Community Health Connect and will receive care from a dentist than ever before. 
 

The success of this year’s dental varnishing was facilitated by our partnerships with Intermountain Healthcare, MATC, school nurses, the local health department, and the Utah Migrant Farms. Worker Program. Together, we provided supplies and materials that were used during each varnishing session.  In addition, we donated dental hygiene kits (including a toothbrush, toothpaste, and floss) to every student in each school; the kits ensured that each child had the necessary tools to care for their teeth and use the skills they learned from the volunteers and in the dental assemblies.   We appreciate the generosity of our many partners in our continuing effort to improve the dental care of our county’s children.