Erie Family Health Center

From all the experiences I have had at Erie, there are a few that I remember the most. The first was at Erie Albany Park Dental Center in 2006, which is where we saw our first diabetic patients. We had one case that was an older diabetic patient. She came into our clinic with almost no teeth and she stated to us that she couldn’t eat her favorite foods, chilaquiles (traditional Mexican dish). She started her treatment and then she received a full denture. She was so excited and hugged us all and she cried how happy she was. She was thrilled that she could now eat her favorite foods again! This day was the first time I got teary eyes at work because it made me realize that my choice of working for Erie Albany Park Dental Center would be a great experience and would be the beginning of how our oral health program would change the lives of many people.

 

I have been with Erie Family Health Center since April 2005 as a volunteer. Then, in November 2005, I started working full time at Erie Dental Center in Albany Park. I was the first staff member to be hired by the Vice President of Oral Health Services. I was extremely excited to start working for the Oral Health program at Erie as a Patient Support Specialist. In 2007, Erie opened a second dental clinic – Erie Dental Center – located in Erie Humboldt Park Health Center, which is where I moved.  I was given the opportunity to become Clinic Supervisor for Oral Health in October 2008.

One thing I have learned about working at Erie: the dental program has a great team, which allows us to serve our patients with respect and high quality care. Part of our mission at Erie Family Health Center, we believe health care is a right, not a privilege. Having this in mind, the dental team serves many different kinds of patients, including children, pregnant women, diabetic adults and patients living with HIV/AIDS.

Also, we recently started our Orthodontic Program, Smiles for Tomorrow. This is a great opportunity for kids to receive care and braces that their parents couldn’t afford elsewhere. I know from firsthand experience how great this is: both of my daughters have braces and the cost was extremely high!

We see many different patients every day, many of whom have experiences that leave us with great memories. Another story that I often think of was at Erie Humboldt Park Dental Center. A little boy came in extremely scared to be at a clinical setting, either Dental or Medical. He was crying the whole time in the waiting area, telling his mother that he wanted to go home. We let the Vice President of Oral Health Services, Dr. Souri, know of the situation. When it was the little boy’s turn to go to the clinic area to be seen, Dr. Souri was so friendly with him. He even made him a balloon with his glove and painted a face with a smile and sang to the little boy. The boy came out so happy from the clinic area that the mother almost cried. This is what our dental team is about: we make any experience the best experience for all patients and all ages.

Working at Erie Family Health Center Albany Park and Humboldt Park Dental is so rewarding that when a patient’s treatment is complete, seeing their healthy smile makes all our hard work worthwhile.

Tags: oral health