St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic Launch a Success

Oct. 17, 2012 - PRLog -- Saint Francis Mission Dental Clinic Launch a Success   

The Saint Francis Mission Dental Clinic opened its first week long clinic on Tuesday, October 9-Friday, October 12. Staffed by owner Dr. John Kharough, Dr. Bob Hogan, Dr. Jeremy Siegrest, Lenora Iron Shooter, and four senior dental students from Creighton University’s School of Dentistry, the clinic treated sixty to sixty-five patients in four days.

Johanna Brave, Rosebud, brought her children in for checkups, “The staff is very nice and friendly.” Brave heard about the clinic from family recommendations, “A couple of my sisters came in and said it was great.” She said the clinic seemed to work in addressing needs. “I already told a couple of friends about it.”

The Saint Francis Mission is responding to a severe shortage of oral health care services on the Reservation. “I see a large need for the service,” said Rodney Bordeaux, Chief Operations Officer for the Saint Francis Mission. Most adults and children have severe tooth decay, with roughly seventy percent of adults facing periodontal disease. On average, children have two decayed primary teeth and two decayed permanent teeth. “We need to continue this with Creighton University and whoever else we can get. More permanency is what will really help us be successful,” said Bordeaux. The clinic currently operates on week long sessions pending volunteer availability.

For more information or to interview a member of our staff, please contact Corrie Oberdin at coberdin@iridiangroup.com. To learn more about the Mission, visit www.sfmission.org, or visit us on Facebook (www.facebook.com/sfmission) or Twitter (www.twitter.com/thesfmission).

About the St. Francis Mission

St. Francis Mission is a ministry of the Society of Jesus (the Jesuits) among the 20,000 Lakota (Sioux) people on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in south-central South Dakota. It is a not-for-profit organization founded in 1886. The purpose of the Mission is to re-evangelize Catholic Lakota people and bring the Gospel of Jesus Christ to those who have not heard it. We respect the traditions of the Lakota people as we collaborate with them to meet the spiritual, educational, social and physical needs of the community.

St. Francis Mission is the largest not-for-profit organization on the Rosebud Reservation that is not a governmental controlled or funded program. Currently it supports work in six parishes, Icimani Ya Waste Recovery Center, the White River Recovery Center, religious education, the Buechel Memorial Lakota Museum, the St. Francis Mission Dental Clinic and KINI Radio 96.1 FM. All work is done in cooperation with the Diocese of Rapid City.