Friday, March 16, 2012

Miracles in the Dental Clinic

I wanted to share a small miracle that happened today.

We opened our Dental Clinic on Feb. 24, and since then we've had 7 clinics and assisted over 20 people with their dental needs. As I write this, we are finishing up a dental clinic in which both chairs are being used: one for the dentist for dental work, and the other for cleanings.

One thing we are learning is that with dental - even free dental - there is a high no-show rate. We confirm with patients one to two days before their appointment, and even call them if they are late on the appointment day - but still people simply don't show.

This morning, the last patient of the day didn't show. We called her, and she had completely forgotten. Janet, the supervisor for the morning, said 'okay' and started cleaning up the clinic.

A few minutes later, a man - Ted - walked through the doors. He was on the dental waiting list and wanted to know how much longer he had to wait. I gave him the standard spiel - 'We schedule according to need, our Dental Coordinator will give you a call' - and then asked what his need was. Ted shared that he had an abscess in one tooth, completely rotted out, and was in a lot of pain. He pointed to his cheek and said, "This area is completely hard. I just want to know what's going on."

I started thinking that we'd need to get him in the medical clinic, but then Bethany, the receptionist that morning, reminded me of the cancellation we just had. I tracked down Janet and asked if we could get Ted in. Right now, he is sitting in the chair, getting the assistance he needs.

How like God to take the inconvenience of a no-show patient and turn it into a blessing! And the blessing has been multiplied - Ted was blessed, I and the other volunteers were blessed by seeing everything work out, and hopefully now YOU are blessed by seeing God's hand at work.

Have a great weekend!

Sharon

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