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.