Intact, But Different A Dentist’s Personal Journal
Baton Rouge, LA_It’s overwhelming to hear from friends as far away as [Oral Health] is in Toronto and know you’re thinking about us.
Our family is safe. We left for Houston at 4:30a.m. Sunday and sat on a hotel bed for three days staring at the TV, trying to reconcile what we were looking at with our reality. We made it back to Baton Rouge (an hour from home) yesterday and are staying with friends here for a few days. We’re going to try to probe into our neighborhood today to assess home and office and grab some things we didn’t get the first time…like the family rabbit and kids prescriptions. I may take our kids to Northern Alabama and enroll them in school there for the foreseeable future. I am going to start making some phone calls today to study my options. Even if we have power within a few weeks, the area is so devastated that people will not be concerned with dental appointments for a while.
Fortunately we, and all our loved ones, made it out of the city. It’s utter devastation there and deteriorating by the moment.
Our lives are changed. Things here may never return to what they were. But we will make it through this intact, though different.
Filed by Dr. James Moreau, DDS and Julie Moreau
2005 Sullivan-Schein Hurricane Relief Hotline
Niagara-on-the-Lake, ON_Sullivan-Schein has once again established a hurricane relief hotline for dentists with operational, logistical or financial issues that have resulted from hurricane Katrina. The toll-free number -1-800-999-9729 is now active and being staffed from 8:00am to 6:30p.m. ET. This is the second consecutive year that Sullivan-Schein has established a hurricane relief hotline to support dentists affected by regional hurricanes.
“These storms can take a severe toll on the infrastructure of affected states, and we know that our dental customers in these regions may face business challenges as a result,” says Tim Sullivan, President, Sullivan-Schein.
“We are committed to assisting dentists in affected regions cope with these storms and their aftermath, and are encouraging dental practitioners in these areas to call our hotline with issues we can help address. We have always been dedicated to helping our customers practice high-quality healthcare while improving their profitability and operations, and this is one way in which we hope to continue to demonstrate our commitment in a meaningful way.”
Filed by Graham Love, Director of Marketing for Henry Schein Ash Arcona in Canada
Sirona Reaches Out to Help Hurricane Victims
Charlotte, NC Sirona Dental Systems is reaching out to help the victims of the devastating blow that was dealt to the US Gulf Coast by Hurricane Katrina. The company announced it will be offering a discount off all Sirona equipment to any dentist or dental laboratory that is replacing equipment damaged in the storm. Furthermore, Sirona will organize and coordinate donations from employees and will match those donations up to an aggregate total of $10,000.00. The two specific causes that Sirona is collecting for are the American Red Cross disaster relief fund and a special collection to support the families of two Sirona Employees- Dawn Roniger, Mid-South Instruments Territory Manager, and Anthony Sutton, Returns Coordinator. Sirona will also match employee donations of up to $100 per employee who wishes to support any other non-profit organization who is offering help for storm victims.
Anthony Sutton is providing refuge for family members who were evacuated from New Orleans that will likely remain in Charlotte and rebuild their lives here. Anthony will also be providing aid to family in Gulfport and a sister in Biloxi, two of the hardest hit areas.
“The American Red Cross is a tremendous contributor to the Katrina relief efforts. Sirona supports its mission and is committed to doing what we can to help in extraordinary circumstances such as these. Additionally, we want to do what we can to ease the burden on our employees who were significantly affected by the storm,” said Michael Augins, President of Sirona Dental Systems, LLC. “For dental professionals who are affected by this disaster, the immediate outlay of funds to replace or refurbish a practice or laboratory following such devastation can be overwhelming. We want to help ease that burden so that all effected members of the dental community can get back on their feet and return to productivity as quickly as possible.”
