First impressions count.
When people see the newly remodeled dental clinic at Pine Ridge Hospital for the first time, the typical reaction is “Wow!” says CAPT José Rodriguez, adding, “Yeah, they are surprised.”
At the end of January, he and his staff will finally get to unveil the beautiful, newly remodeled clinic, with modifications that include a new updated panoramic digital radiography unit, an expanded dental lab and a staff breakroom that doubles as a training and meeting area.
Beyond physical improvements, a major remodel brings a big morale boost for the staff, notes Dr. Rodriguez, Chief Dentist at the IHS Pine Ridge Service Unit and a Captain in the US Public Health Service Commissioned Corps.
Remodeling sends a subtle message to patients that their health care providers care about them and want to invest in the latest updates possible, he notes. The clinic serves a patient population of 30,000 to 35,000, primarily Oglala Lakota, on the Pine Ridge Reservation in Southwestern South Dakota. It’s the eighth-largest reservation in the United States.
When he arrived at Pine Ridge after an Advanced General Practice Residency (AGPR) 18 years ago, the facility was five years old. Dr. Rodriquez notes that it’s seen some wear and tear since then, so the staff was particularly excited when funds for the renovation became available from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), the parent agency of IHS. HHS provided $1.62 million. With input from the staff, additional improvements were approved using funds provided by IHS.
The dental clinic had to stay within the same footprint in the hospital, so the new design and layout of the equipment presented an opportunity to improve efficiency, Dr. Rodriguez says. “We tried to maximize what we had before.”
The staff was able to change the layout to make the 17-chair clinic both more accessible for patients in wheelchairs and more open and spacious for day-to-day work activities.
But the most amazing feat may be that the clinic remained open (though at reduced capacity) throughout the entire remodeling process, so patient care could continue.
“Because of the layout of the dental clinic, with an east and west wing, we were able to work in one side and then move to the other,” Dr. Rodriguez says. “We never closed the doors.”
He rattles off some of the major improvements the remodeling will bring, including the updated panoramic digital X-ray unit. The staff eliminated an old darkroom, where X-rays were once developed. That allowed them to expand the small dental lab, used primarily for repairing dentures and training students during externships, into a larger space that can accommodate five or six people.
One of the most noticeable and reassuring changes for patients, Dr. Rodriguez says, was relocating the sinks where doctors scrub up, “so patients can see that the doctor is washing his hands and talk to him at the same time.”
Improved infection control was accomplished by updating the sterilization room in accordance with newer guidelines.
A number of other changes make for a more pleasant and efficient work environment for staff, and are only partly cosmetic — such as shiny new floors that look like polished wood, but are actually easy-to-sanitize vinyl flooring. There is also more storage for clinic supplies, as well as lockers in each operatory, where staff can secure their belongings while they work.
| Incentives for Recruitment |
Dr. Rodriguez hopes the excitement of working in a brand-new facility with state-of-the-art equipment and a freshly energized staff will help Pine Ridge fill several openings — two for dentists, three for dental assistants, one for a hygienist and one for a front-desk receptionist. His staff currently includes four dentists (one pediatric), six dental assistants and two hygienists.
One feature at Pine Ridge that might prove attractive to new dentists is the opportunity to gain experience with dental patients who have acute medical problems and comorbidities, because the clinic’s hospital location facilitates consultations with internal medicine staff. “I’m a face-to-face person,” Dr. Rodriguez says, adding that it’s reassuring to having physicians on site for consults.
Special recruiting incentives and relocation reimbursement are also available, he notes. Pine Ridge, as well as most facilities within the Great Plains Area, has these incentives to help facilitate hiring in what would otherwise be hard-to-fill opportunities to serve a population in need of health care professionals.
Dr. Rodriguez is happy to note that Pine Ridge’s clinic renovation is not the only remodeling project in the Great Plains Area dental program. The health center in Kyle, SD, a satellite clinic of the Pine Ridge Service Unit, is currently expanding its dental clinic; Rosebud Hospital, about two hours east of Pine Ridge on the Rosebud Indian Reservation, is also undergoing an extensive renovation.
“This half of the state has less than 10 percent of the total population,” Dr. Rodriguez says. The mostly rural area is close to Mount Rushmore and the ruggedly beautiful Black Hills and offers spectacular skiing and snowboarding. For lovers of the outdoors, that’s “part of the allure,” he says. There’s also hiking, camping, wildlife photography and a wealth of other outdoor attractions.
And of course, there’s the gratification of seeing the surprise on patients’ faces when they walk into their beautiful state-of-the-art clinic for the first time. |
