Why Lane County Has Cavities & Micronesia Has a Dentist, Part 3

The last two issues of Lane Solutions told the story of local dentist Cedric Hayden, DDS. He spent $200,000 of his and his brother’s money to outfit a mobile dental clinic, which they wanted to park in rural areas of Lane County and offer free dental care to low income residents.

But not a single rural city wanted it. Why? Most thought it was a great idea – just not in their towns.

Connecting the dots, Dr. Hayden saw a sad pattern emerging among the “public servants” who profess to care so very much about their less well off constituents and found a place where his skills and compassion would be welcome.

The place? Chuuk, Micronesia, where around 55,000 people have not one dentist.

Chuuk welcomed Dr. Hayden, offered him a place to park his mobile clinic and a six month license to practice.

His first team of volunteers spent their Christmas vacation filling cavities in Chuuk. Dr. Hayden plans to spend three months each year there offering dental care.

We say, “Dr. Hayden – Thanks for your generosity. Too bad it wasn’t welcome here.”

Comments are closed.