Medical Mission to Belize
A fourteen-year-old dream became reality Oct. 15, 2004 when a completely equipped dental clinic was open for patient treatment. I did my first dental mission to Belize in 1990. At that time the first United Methodist Church helped me raise funds to purchase a portable dental unit, generator, shop-vac (for suction) and enable a friend and I to do silver and tooth colored fillings and extractions anywhere we were directed to setup.
We were completely self-contained. We worked in Punta Gorda, Forest Home, and Mafredi. It took us approximately an hour and a half to set up at each site, and about that much time to load back up each evening. They were rather long days. The need for dentistry in Belize, as in every country, including the US is never ending. Over the years I have been back to Belize and several other countries doing the same thing.
During this time, things have changed drastically with the airlines… cost, weight restrictions, hazardous materials (which includes silver filling material) and a variety of other things that makes it difficult to take everything, including the kitchen sink to do dentistry in under-developed settings
Quite a few dentists have contacted me over the years with interest in doing a dental mission. Very few have actually gone. When I fax them my list of equipment and supplies necessary for mission that does more than just extract teeth, they shy away. My dream was to one day, have a clinic where a dentist could walk in and start work.
I feel that Belize is an excellent “First Mission” country. They speak English, the people are friendly and gracious, and anywhere but Belize City is very safe, even to the point of walking around at night. About three years ago I was moved to decide it was time to build the clinic in Belize. I am on the Board of the Florida Conference UMVIM. I went to one of the meetings and expressed my desire to begin a clinic. I was told I needed to talk to Fred Marquis of the Palm Bay Habour United Methodist Church because they were already planning to build a clinic in Forest Home. (The Lord does work in mysterious ways!!)
We got together, modified the plans a little, and the dream started becoming a reality. Now, a little over three years later, through government red tape and the usual extraordinary effort (as many of you well know) it takes to build something in a foreign country we have a functional two chair dental clinic with an x-ray unit, x-ray processor, central vacuum, compressor, over head lights fiber optic hand pieces, steam sterilizer, forceps, fast halogen curing lights, fiber optic hand pieces, steam sterilizer, forceps, fast halogen curing lights, etc. and three medical exam rooms.
We did dentistry for four and a half days. We only had two patients cry during the week. (One of them was just one tear.) We use topical anesthetic prior to local anesthetic on every patient. We did root canals on six patients that had critical teeth we wanted to avoid extracting. One of them was a twelve-year-old boy that had fallen two years ago and broken one of his front teeth. It was blacked and abscessed. He did not have any other decayed or missing teeth in his mouth. The local government dentist had referred him to the clinic because he was not able to provide that type of treatment. He left with a root canal and a white bonded tooth that will hopefully last him many years.
We were not able to take a physician on this mission, but we did partially equip two of the medical exam rooms. There is a third, that I am hoping we will equip for some form of specialty treatment if we find an interested physician (s) that would like to become involved. The medical rooms have Welch /Allyn Pan Optic units (BP, otoscopes, automatic thermometers, etc.) Floor based halogen exam lights, fetal dopplers, suture setups, one electrosurg unit, exam tables (with stirrups) ands doctor’s stools.
As I am not independently wealthy, my goal is to “administer” this clinic by helping interested physicians and dentist to go on a mission and utilize this magnificent clinic. My suggestion (for those who wish input) is a nine or ten-day mission and plan on working four of five days. This allows for a day of travel each way and a day and a half for some form of recreation or site seeing. I feel it is important for a team to not only work but also be rewarded for their good deeds by enjoying some aspect of the country. Belize has a nice variety of things to do and see depending on your taste and budget. Speaking of budget, we are planning a fee of one hundred and fifty dollars a day for the use of the clinic. This money will be used to build up a fund for service and repair of equipment and building. To fly a technician down to repair equipment is not cheap.
The cost per person for a mission to Belize will run in the neighborhood of 1600 to 1800, which includes airfare of approximately 650. Depending upon your budget, you may reduce cost by staying in a Mayan Village Co-op (cold water, no A/C, bunk beds) or increase to a fly-fishing resort with beautiful bungalows, meals provided, vanishing edge pool, guided fly-fishing trips for “Permit” fish. My “average cost mission” utilizes a motel in Punta Gorda with A/C, hot water, and cable TV. Not glorious, but very comfortable.
I pray that you will feel lead to make this a successful clinic. Please discuss it among your friends and I will be happy to help you plan an enjoyable rewarding mission. It takes two months to get a temporary license prior to the mission. I would suggest a minimum of four months lead-time to prepare for a mission unless you have a good bit of experience. Please contact me for more information
James Flach, D.D.S
P.O. Box 173
Mount Dora, Florida 32756
jim@totcon.com
We were completely self-contained. We worked in Punta Gorda, Forest Home, and Mafredi. It took us approximately an hour and a half to set up at each site, and about that much time to load back up each evening. They were rather long days. The need for dentistry in Belize, as in every country, including the US is never ending. Over the years I have been back to Belize and several other countries doing the same thing.
During this time, things have changed drastically with the airlines… cost, weight restrictions, hazardous materials (which includes silver filling material) and a variety of other things that makes it difficult to take everything, including the kitchen sink to do dentistry in under-developed settings
Quite a few dentists have contacted me over the years with interest in doing a dental mission. Very few have actually gone. When I fax them my list of equipment and supplies necessary for mission that does more than just extract teeth, they shy away. My dream was to one day, have a clinic where a dentist could walk in and start work.
I feel that Belize is an excellent “First Mission” country. They speak English, the people are friendly and gracious, and anywhere but Belize City is very safe, even to the point of walking around at night. About three years ago I was moved to decide it was time to build the clinic in Belize. I am on the Board of the Florida Conference UMVIM. I went to one of the meetings and expressed my desire to begin a clinic. I was told I needed to talk to Fred Marquis of the Palm Bay Habour United Methodist Church because they were already planning to build a clinic in Forest Home. (The Lord does work in mysterious ways!!)
We got together, modified the plans a little, and the dream started becoming a reality. Now, a little over three years later, through government red tape and the usual extraordinary effort (as many of you well know) it takes to build something in a foreign country we have a functional two chair dental clinic with an x-ray unit, x-ray processor, central vacuum, compressor, over head lights fiber optic hand pieces, steam sterilizer, forceps, fast halogen curing lights, fiber optic hand pieces, steam sterilizer, forceps, fast halogen curing lights, etc. and three medical exam rooms.
We did dentistry for four and a half days. We only had two patients cry during the week. (One of them was just one tear.) We use topical anesthetic prior to local anesthetic on every patient. We did root canals on six patients that had critical teeth we wanted to avoid extracting. One of them was a twelve-year-old boy that had fallen two years ago and broken one of his front teeth. It was blacked and abscessed. He did not have any other decayed or missing teeth in his mouth. The local government dentist had referred him to the clinic because he was not able to provide that type of treatment. He left with a root canal and a white bonded tooth that will hopefully last him many years.
We were not able to take a physician on this mission, but we did partially equip two of the medical exam rooms. There is a third, that I am hoping we will equip for some form of specialty treatment if we find an interested physician (s) that would like to become involved. The medical rooms have Welch /Allyn Pan Optic units (BP, otoscopes, automatic thermometers, etc.) Floor based halogen exam lights, fetal dopplers, suture setups, one electrosurg unit, exam tables (with stirrups) ands doctor’s stools.
As I am not independently wealthy, my goal is to “administer” this clinic by helping interested physicians and dentist to go on a mission and utilize this magnificent clinic. My suggestion (for those who wish input) is a nine or ten-day mission and plan on working four of five days. This allows for a day of travel each way and a day and a half for some form of recreation or site seeing. I feel it is important for a team to not only work but also be rewarded for their good deeds by enjoying some aspect of the country. Belize has a nice variety of things to do and see depending on your taste and budget. Speaking of budget, we are planning a fee of one hundred and fifty dollars a day for the use of the clinic. This money will be used to build up a fund for service and repair of equipment and building. To fly a technician down to repair equipment is not cheap.
The cost per person for a mission to Belize will run in the neighborhood of 1600 to 1800, which includes airfare of approximately 650. Depending upon your budget, you may reduce cost by staying in a Mayan Village Co-op (cold water, no A/C, bunk beds) or increase to a fly-fishing resort with beautiful bungalows, meals provided, vanishing edge pool, guided fly-fishing trips for “Permit” fish. My “average cost mission” utilizes a motel in Punta Gorda with A/C, hot water, and cable TV. Not glorious, but very comfortable.
I pray that you will feel lead to make this a successful clinic. Please discuss it among your friends and I will be happy to help you plan an enjoyable rewarding mission. It takes two months to get a temporary license prior to the mission. I would suggest a minimum of four months lead-time to prepare for a mission unless you have a good bit of experience. Please contact me for more information
James Flach, D.D.S
P.O. Box 173
Mount Dora, Florida 32756
jim@totcon.com
posted by UMVIM at 8:02 AM
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