Spreading Smiles

Baton Rouge dentist Dr. Douglas Strickland recalled how several years ago he was hearing a voice in the far reaches of his mind, pleading “You need to do something.”

Admittedly, he kept putting it off until about 10 years ago when he finally said, “Okay Lord, I’ll call.”

Those few minutes would change his life and as it turns out the lives of hundreds of homeless and needy individuals who were visiting the free dental clinic at the Society of St. Vincent de Paul. In response to the message he was hearing, Strickland called the pharmacy at St. Vincent de Paul, where the clinic is located, about volunteering his dental services and learned the dentist at the time was experiencing medical challenges. He expressed to Strickland his concern about the clinic’s future.

“So I showed up and I’ve been here ever since,” said Strickland, who initially donated Fridays, his off day while practicing fulltime, to the clinic.

“I get a lot of satisfaction from helping these people that really need help,” he said. “Most of them are very appreciative of what we do. 

“I actually get more out of it than what I give.”

Today, the clinic that was until recently stocked with used and donated equipment sparkles, thanks to grants from the Blue Cross/Blue Shield Foundation and the Huey and Angelina Wilson Foundation in Baton Rouge. 

Tucked away in one corner is a state-of-the-art, panoramic X-ray machine that would be the envy of any dentist. Anchoring the office is a new dental chair featuring modern amenities, replacing the previous chair that was in such poor condition a bucket had to be  placed under it to catch the water leaks.

“This has been beautiful,” said Kay Kyes, St. Vincent de Paul pharmacy director. “Up until this time we relied on donations of equipment. It was wonderful that we would get it but it had already been used for a long time and we would have problems.”

The infusion of modern technology is just a small but significant part of a clinic that is beginning to blossom. What began as a dialogue between Baton Rouge doctor Dr. James Rolfsen, whose practice is at Baton Rouge Clinic, and Our Lady of the Lake Regional Medical Center Vice-President of Mission Coletta Barrett has turned into a bevy of area dentists eager to partner with St. Vincent. 

Through the Mayor’s Healthy City Initiative in Baton Rouge, of which Barrett is a member, discussions began in late 2019 about expanding the clinic. St. Vincent de Paul CEO Michael Acaldo said Rolfsen asked Barrett about the pressing medical needs in the community and she mentioned dental. Once the need was identified Rolfsen contacted Acaldo and by early 2020 the plan was rapidly developing. 

“We had a lot of energy, we were so excited and then March 2020 (when the COVID-19 pandemic began its deadly march across the country) hit,” Acaldo said, which temporarily delayed moving forward. But by late 2020 and certainly in 2021 the services at the dental clinic had expanded.

Acaldo explained St. Vincent has become a hub where needy and homeless dental patients receive initial care and X-rays at no charge. From that point, patients are referred to one of the volunteer dentists for additional treatment, if needed, again at no charge. 

Strickland said he mainly performs extractions and Kyes said that for other treatments, such as fillings, patients must be referred to a dentist. 

As volunteer dentists were solicited, Acaldo recognized the need to replace the agency’s aging equipment. With the help of the two grants, the agency was able to spend a combined $70,000 on the new equipment, $40,000 going just for the X-ray machine. 

“Without the two foundations we would not be sitting here right now,” Acaldo said. 

“One of the neat things about our agreement with the dentists is that they take care of one problem but they will often do more than what the patient went over there for,” Kyes said. “One of the things that really triggered this for me was one day (Strickland) found oral cancer in one of our patients. It was amazing he could pick it up with our older X-ray machine. 

“I thought what else are we missing with the people that come in?”

“Some of our patients have probably gone a whole lifetime without ever seeing a dentist,” she added. “Most do not take care of their teeth so by the time we get them their mouths are in bad shape.”

Acaldo said he is overwhelmed  by the number of quality dentists volunteering, including Dr. Steven Brooksher, Dr. Chip Simon, Dr. Glenn Kidder and his two sons and Dr. Henry Manning. 

“You are talking about some of the best dentists that have ever practiced in Baton Rouge,” Acaldo said. “These are top notch people. They are wanting to do something good for the people and that is saying something about them but they are also saying something about the profession of dentistry.”

Strickland, who works on Wednesday mornings at the clinic, currently sees about 20 to 25 patients per month. Acaldo’s goal is to double that number during the coming year. 

After a decade of serving the needy, Strickland has a simple message for his colleagues contemplating signing on as volunteer .

“I tell them try just one day and see how that is and go from there,” he said. “We are helping people that need the help the most.”