Posted on Sep 05, 2020

Kimberly Dental Team Covid 19 Update 

Kimberley Dental Team Ltd was founded by Jan and John Owen in May 2009 after a trip to Halls Creek with the Madjitil Moorna Choir.  In 2009, Jan and John were afforded the opportunity to see first hand the devastating results of a lack of dental services in the region for the children.  Halls Creek District High School welcomed their dental expertise and the Kimberly Dental Team was born.  Since this time, Jan and John have traveled to the Kimberly twice yearly with volunteers to carry out vital work and education within the communities.  

The Kimberly Dental Team (KDT) has now expanded into the Great Southern region of Western Australia delivering pioneering clinical and oral health education to people disadvantaged by barriers to dental care including homeless adults, families and young people; Forgotten Australians (those suffering from institutional care as a child); and people living in mental health hostels.

    In the meantime COVID 19 has required some fast re-thinking and re-organising of the delivery of the 2020 program to the Kimberly Communities.  The KDT team have carried forward their schedule from 2020 to 2021 and most volunteers are happy to continue with their original roster.   The KDT team has been able to achieve refunds & credit vouchers for flights booked for May 2020. These vouchers will be used towards flights in 2021.
     
    Jan and John were able to visit a few of their communities and schools in early August of this year, although for the most part the communities remain on full visitor restrictions. Despite KDT being unable to provide a service in communities this year, the KDT Oral Health Officer has kept schools and clinics fully supplied with all toothbrushing needs and so the need to drop supplies in on our travels was minimal. 
     
     
    Assuming everything goes to plan we will be very interested to see how the children and their families have fared without the school screening and dental care that KDT usually provides yearly.  Unfortunately KDT Southern has been cancelled for 2020 and scheduling for 2021 will be reassessed depending on Covid and PPE requirements and standards. This is due to the mobile nature of our equipment and set up. 
     
    Rotary is proud to work alongside the KDT team.  Last Saturday members of the Perth Rotary Club, Perth Rotaract Club and Global Citizens sponsored by Dalkeith Rotary and City East Rotary Clubs gathered together to pack toothbrushes which will be sent north so as to maintain the oral hygiene programs running out of the schools and communities in the Kimberly.   Volunteering in this fashion, allows members to: 
    • Join Leaders, 
    • Exchange Ideas; and 
    • Take Action.... what better way to spend a Saturday??  
    Thank you to those who gave of their time last Saturday to pack toothbrushes & we look forward to the return of the KDT program in 2021.