PHC explains dental services, new board member welcomed

SEELEY LAKE – At the Seeley-Swan Hospital District meeting July 14, Partnership Health Center (PHC) executive director Laurie Francis gave her normal report and offered further explanation regarding dental services at the Seeley-Swan Medical Center. The board also received an update on the proposed RV Park and welcomed new board member Georgiann McCoy.

Francis explained that almost every dental intervention is an aerosolizing procedure that spreads droplets all over. While manual cleanings can be done that is not the way it has been done.

In light of the added risk caused by aerosolization, PHC stopped all dental care for more than a week when COVID started. Then providers were only seeing patients in significant pain for emergency dental. Dental staff wore full protective equipment.

Four weeks ago they started screening people and expanding their dental services to urgent care and other necessary services. Now they are testing everyone in Seeley Lake and Missoula for COVID before they receive dental treatment. Francis explained the idea was they would receive the test results within 24 hours and then could provide the treatment.

However due to the testing backlog, it is now taking 4 – 14 days to get results. Francis said they just had the discussion about either suspending dental care or following the model the private practices are using by just wearing full protective gear and providing care.

“We are not seeing positives in those setting so are we being overly cautious. We are following national guidelines,” said Francis. “There really isn’t a safe way to do dental at this point in the country. We have greatly diminished our number everywhere which is painful in every single way.”

PHC is only projected to only be at 50 percent capacity for dental for next year.

Board Chair Twyla Johnson reported to the board that the proposed RV Park passed their elemental review from the Missoula County planning department. It is now into the sufficiency review process and is being distributed to various agencies, county and state departments for review.

McCoy was appointed by the Missoula County Commissioners to fill the open position on the board. In 1975 she started a career in laboratory science. She worked in the medical field as a lab director/manager in Kansas, Wyoming and Montana. She retired in October 2019 after working in Polson for six years. She and her husband Jeff moved to Seeley Lake after looking for their forever home in a small town.

“I’m just tickled I am able to serve on this board and support [the medical staff at the clinic] doing the great work that they do,” said McCoy.

The Hospital District’s next meeting is scheduled for Aug. 11 at 5 p.m. either in the Seeley-Swan Medical Center conference room or via telephone.

 

Reader Comments(0)