September 16-18, 2011, I returned to Omaha, Nebraska to attend my 25-Year Reunion at Creighton University School of Dentistry. It is hard to believe I been practicing dentistry for 25 years as it has gone by so quickly. I look forward to many more years of building relationships with my patients and providing them with the best dental care possible.
Many of you know that in 2010, we traveled to the Dominican Republic and participated in a dental mission trip, partnering with Mission of Mercy. In June, we again participated in another Mission of Mercy trip, this time to Kenya. We had a total of 6 dentists, plus assorted family members to assist us, and we set up two clinics, both in the Kajiado area. We treated kids associated with Mission of Mercy projects, as well as some of the adults who work with these kids. English and Swahili are the two official languages of Kenya, but many of the children we saw spoke tribal languages and were not yet conversant in English. Interpretors were available for each dentist so that we could identify the problem area and provide treatment. This picture was taken at our first clinic, a 2.5 hour drive into the interior on bumpy dirt roads. We set up clinic on dirt, under a two-sided tent, while portable generators ran our dental units. We were lucky to spend some time enjoying Kenyan wildlife at the Amboseli Game Preserve following our clinics. To see more pictures of our trip, visit AlbersDental on Facebook.
Although we were sad to say good-bye to Kate, we are very happy to welcome hygienist Jane to the practice. As you will see in her staff profile, Jane and Dr. Albers have known each other professionally since the late 1980’s, when they both worked for a large practice in Colorado Springs. Jane has filled in periodically at the office, and now it’s official – she’s a permanent part of the staff. We are lucky to have someone of Jane’s skills and experience working with our patients.
It was with sadness that we said good-bye to one or our hygienists, Kate, who had been with our practice since 1999. Some of you may know that in addition to working with our office, Kate was a licensed clinical social worker and maintained a private practice four days a week as a therapist. Recently, Kate was offered an opportunity to work full time with the Army to help soldiers who are struggling with mental health and addiction issues. While we will miss Kate, we know that this is important work and wish her well in her newest endeavor.