A team of 11 medical professionals and teenage volunteers were on San Pedro Town providing free dermatology, dental and general medical services at the Otto Rodriguez PolyClinic II as part of the Partners of Belize with team leader Dr. John Kirby. The team from Ohio, USA arrived in the country on Thursday July 26th and worked on Friday from 1PM – 5PM, Saturday 8AM to Noon, and on Monday and Tuesday from 8AM through 5PM, offering their services free of cost to the entire public of Ambergris Caye.
Working in Dental, the team of six was led by Dr. Gordon Womack, children’s specialist from Dayton Ohio. His team included dental technicians; Maureen Ryan and Michelle Brooks; dental assistant Michelle Johnson; office manager Leryn Fuller and assistant office manager Nicky Thomas. By Tuesday afternoon, the team had seen over 130 patients and offered various services including cleaning, treatment, fillings and extractions among other dental services.
Other specialists included Dr. Wayne Bauman, dermatologist from Cincinnati Ohio; Dr. Magda Kerschner, pain specialist doctor of anesthesiology also from Cincinnati, where she has a pain clinic for those with chronic pain issues.
The team brought with them medications, vitamins, tooth pastes, tooth brushes and other medical supplies which were issued to patients with the surplus being donated to the Otto Rodriguez PolyClinic II. Speaking of his first working trip to the island, Dr. Womack stated, “We are here to take care of any needs that the community has from a dental standpoint. We’ve been doing a lot of cleanings, extracting teeth and fillings. We loved our visit here on the island. Once the work is done, I plan on taking the team snorkeling and fishing so that we can get a chance to enjoy what the island has to offer.”
“The main problem with the dental work here is the fact that a lot of people don’t get their teeth cleaned. That leads to a lot of build up and tartar that causes gum diseases,” said Dr. Womack. “People need to be better educated on the “how to” – how to take better care of their teeth – so that they don’t have these problems.”
While this is the first time on the island for the dental team, they do plan on returning next year as their experience has been very memorable. The team takes this opportunity to thank all suppliers that donated the supplies and contributed to making their trip successful, including local sponsors: Corona del Mar, George’s Kitchen, and Cholo’s and Ultimate Golf Cart Rentals. While the supplies and medical equipment were donated, all volunteers were responsible for their travel and accommodation expenses. The San Pedro Sun joins the community in extending a big “Thank You” to all the volunteers for their invaluable contribution to the health of the community, and wishes them a safe journey back home.
