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Dr. Jerry Appeldoorn: A Champion for Holistic Dental Services

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An Approach to Complete Wellbeing

If health were pictured as a wheel, Dr. Jerry Appeldoorn and the dental services he provides to HealthFinders Collaborative (HFC) patients would be an essential spoke of the wheel. With all the necessary spokes in place, everything can keep rolling smoothly. However, in his mind, if even one spoke is missing, it can turn into a bumpy ride. It is this holistic view of how dental care is incorporated into an individual’s health that first drew Dr. Jerry to HealthFinders many years ago. He saw the HealthFinders model as something different, a platform to care for a patient in a holistic manner, rather than just treating one part of their life or health. Dr. Jerry wanted to help patients with their teeth AND address the root cause(s) of their challenges, often related to poor diet, lack of preventive care, or other underlying health conditions – challenges a dentist alone cannot address. It is an understanding of the importance of complete wellbeing that makes Dr. Jerry so vital to the mission of HealthFinders and an essential component to its healthcare model. Dr. Jerry’s involvement with HealthFinders was ignited in 2013 when he learned the Faribault ER was seeing around 300 dental emergencies per year. He immediately realized the lack of available dental care and many other socioeconomic health concerns contributed to the ER visits – so he decided to help HealthFinders face the challenge head on. He worked with HFC’s Dental Coordinator and Collaborative Dental Hygienist, Renae Blome, to develop the HealthFinders then-new dental program. After opening the dental practice in a Faribault storefront on Central Avenue, Dr. Jerry recalls, “The HFC dental team started performing mostly emergency dental care, and we quickly realized we needed to do more to prevent the emergencies from happening in the first place.” His preventative care approach and vision makes Dr. Jerry an important asset to HealthFinders, where he continues to serve as a volunteer dental provider, the organization’s Dental Director, and a member of its board of directors.

Taking a Holistic View Since the time Dr. Jerry first recognized the need for holistic, preventative dental care, the HealthFinders dental program has grown from two dental rooms in the original Central Avenue Faribault clinic to six dental rooms at the new Faribault facility located at 1415 Town Square Lane. This program growth, as well as all of the necessary equipment, are also made possible by partnerships with Delta Dental of Minnesota, the Minnesota Department of Health, and the leadership of Renae Blome.

Dr. Jerry is optimistic about the future of HealthFinders’ dental program and its offerings available inside the clinic as well as in the local community, such as dental exams, sealants, and fluoride treatments done at local elementary schools. He also shared his future vision for HealthFinders possibly serving as the teaching site to introduce new dental professionals to the needs and joys of rural dentistry for underserved patients. HealthFinders has developed a successful model for serving underserved populations by taking into account the general wellbeing of the patient, rather than simply a single problem at a specific time. Dr. Jerry hopes to see HealthFinders’ unique holistic model of healthcare replicated in other communities so more underserved patients will have access to the care they need. In light of the current COVID-19 situation, Dr. Jerry explains, “HealthFinders is evolving and adapting to a rapidly changing public health environment. We continue to see emergency patients and will resume other dental services as it is safe to do so, beginning sometime in July.” While he doesn’t know what tomorrow will bring, he is using his expertise to prepare our community for changes that could come. “I’m doing my part to ensure the dental spoke of the wheel is strong.”

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