Open Door Health Center | Mankato
Dental Needs Surge
Demand is also high at Open Door’s three dental clinics. At the Mankato location, the dental waitlist is currently at about 300 people. Jaeger says ODHC is growing as fast as it can, but its efforts have been hampered by a shortage of available dental assistants. “Right now our only holdup is the number of providers that we have,” Jaeger says. “The more providers I can hire, the more people we can serve.” ODHC is finding new ways to expand its reach and respond to dental needs. Its School-Based Dental Outreach program treated 866 children last year. Working with 13 area elementary schools, including all of those in ISD 77, the program provides a dental exam, fluoride treatment, and sealants to prevent decay. “A lot of these kids have a lot of decay. They’re in second, third, fourth, and fifth grade and it’s the first time they’ve seen a dentist. It blows my mind,” Houk says. “We have a desperate desire to serve those children that nobody else is serving.” After their assessment, the children are sent home with educational materials on proper dental care. They are also given information on any problem areas that need to be watched and a referral to a dentist.
Looking Ahead
On Nov. 19, 2019, Open Door will host its first gala. It will be an opportunity for the many individuals, organizations, and businesses that have supported the clinic over the years to come together and celebrate the accomplishments of 25 years. But even as the nonprofit looks back through the years to acknowledge the strides it’s made, its leaders always keep an eye to the future. “We are always asking ourselves, ‘Where are the needs in the region and what can Open Door do to keep health care local?’” Jaeger says. Houk outlined Open Door’s top four goals for the year ahead. First is reducing the population using the emergency room for primary care. Open Door has been addressing this issue since the beginning, but it continues to see a need in this area. “That’s one of the biggest costs in health care, the overuse of the emergency room for things that should be done in a medical
office,” Jaeger says. “We will continue to work with the other health care organizations in town to identify how we can get to these populations and educate them on the benefits of clinic-based health care. If we can keep them from overutilizing the ER, then they can better treat those that truly need the emergency room when they walk in.” The second goal is to find ways to better penetrate unserved populations. These are people that are either unaware ODHC exists or have fears or misperceptions that prevent them from using the facility. “We have immediate plans to reach the segments of the populations in and around (Blue Earth) County that are underserved, that do not know about Open Door,” Houk says. “Our goal is to increase awareness.” Houk said ODHC has changed its outreach strategy. The outreach coordinator has been asked to get out into the community where he can connect with underserved populations. “His job is to get to know them,” Houk says. “For example, he can meet with Somali families or Latino college students or the elderly people of St. James to make sure they understand our services.” Open Door’s third goal is to increase its capacity for treating dental patients who have no other options. Houk says they are finding creative ways to reduce the dental waitlist at the Mankato clinic so children can be seen more quickly. “We just hired a dental therapist to increase our capacity. We will begin pulling children off of the waiting list in August,” Houk says. “This will leave more room for adults on the waitlist and it will get the children seen more quickly.” The organization’s final goal is to get the word out that ODHC is open to anybody and everybody, whether they have insurance or not. It’s working hard to increase visibility with public events and outreach. These three organizations are partnering with Open Door to increase awareness in 2019: Mayo Clinic Health Systems, Community Bank, and Genoa Pharmacy. This spring, it held a “Friendraising,” a community health care street fair that paired free health screenings with a mariachi band and a visit from the Mankato MoonDogs mascot.
This summer ODHC joined parades in St. Peter and North Mankato, distributing toothbrushes to thousands along the way. “We want the general population of Mankato and Blue Earth County to know that Open Door is an option for everyone,” Houk says. With each new initiative, Open Door Health Center moves closer to its ultimate goal: health care for all. Someday, McBeth hopes the center will help her realize her dream. “As I reflect on my life, this is my legacy, this is part of why I am here on Earth,” McBeth says. “In my lifetime, I hope to see everyone with health care.”
THE ESSENTIALS Open Door Health Center 309 Holly Lane Mankato, MN 56001 Phone: 507-388-2120 Web: odhc.org
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