FS_041218

frankfortstation.com life & arts
the frankfort station | April 12, 2018 | 23
Creating a community with
healthy teeth, access to care
Amanda Stoll, Assistant Editor
The dentist’s office isn’t
most people’s favorite place
to find themselves, but for
those who cannot afford
a visit, it is even harder
to get themselves in that
chair.
Dayna Mazurek, a dental
hygienist at Advanced
Family Dental in Frankfort,
is not only helping patients
find their way to an office
but finding her way to them
as well.
After completing an
American Dental Association
training to become a
community dental health
coordinator, Mazurek has
increased her involvement
in the community and on
social media.
“I bring all my experiences
out in the public and
to here where I can educate
the patients more one-toone,”
said Mazurek, who
said she is able to better
talk to patients and educate
them about their oral health
both in the office and at
public events such as health
fairs.
Mazurek said it can be
difficult for those who are
uninsured or underinsured
to find the resources they
need, but she is hoping to
change that by distributing
information on those programs
more widely.
“I grew up in a singlefamily
household,” Mazurek
said. “As I was a teenager
and younger adult I was
on Medicaid, so I have that
experience to help those
less fortunate because I was
in their shoes, too.”
Advanced Family Dental
in Frankfort accepts both
private insurance and public
aid and has HMO and cash
patients as well. Mazurek
said the office treats all its
patients the same regardless
of their insurance status, unlike
some dental practices
where she has worked in the
past.
In addition to educating
the public about their
options financially and
spreading the word about
free or discounted dental
care programs, Mazurek
said she spends a lot of her
time educating people about
their own health and how it
relates to their mouth.
“A lot of patients are really
unfamiliar with dental
terminology, dental care
and health,” she said. “They
don’t realize the link between
their oral health and
their systemic health.”
She said many times
people with certain medical
conditions, including diabetes,
are unaware the effect
their dental health can have
on other factors such as
blood pressure, blood sugar,
and wound healing.
Many prescription medications
can also cause side
effects, such as dry mouth,
that Mazurek said can have
a detrimental effect on overall
oral health.
“By having them in here
and educating them it really
helps them be more
familiar with their body,”
she said.
Through her own personal
social media and networking
with other dental
professionals, Mazurek said
she has been effectively
reaching more and more
people than she ever could
otherwise. Add that to the
patients she sees both in the
office and out of the office,
and she is positively impacting
more people than
she could ever know.
Tickets on sale for LWE production
Submitted by Lincoln-Way
East music
Tickets are on sale now
for Lincoln-way East's production
of Disney's Hunchback
of Notre Dame.
All shows will be held in
the LWE Fine Arts Auditorium,
201 Colorado in Frankfort.
Shows are scheduled
for April 27 and 28 at 7 p.m.,
April 28 at 1 p.m. and April
29 at 3 p.m.
Tickets are available at
lwemusic.org.
Based on the Victor Hugo
novel and songs from the
Disney animated feature,
The Hunchback of Notre
Dame showcases the film’s
Academy Award-nominated
score, as well as new songs
by Menken and Schwartz.
Peter Parnell’s new book
embraces story theatre and
features verbatim passages
from Hugo’s gothic novel.
The set is an amazing
recreation of Notre Dame,
complete with stained glass
and life-size "bells of Notre
Dame."
Tickets are only $10 with
a $1 online service fee. For
tickets and more information
please visit lwemusic.org.
Lincoln-Way science students
participate in hands-on learning
Submitted by Lincoln-Way
Community High School
District 210
Phone: 630-381-1100
Throughout the past two
decades, Lincoln-Way District
210 has supported a
motivating and experiential
Anatomy & Physiology
Medical (A&P Medical)
class. This class has worked
closely with the Lincoln-Way
community by fostering relationships
with nearby hospitals,
including Presence St.
Joseph, St. James, and Silver
Cross.
“It is unbelievable how
our community embraces our
students,” said Lincoln-Way
Central Science Department
Chair Sarah Highfill. “The
local hospitals open their
doors to the future nurses,
doctors, medical administrators,
physical therapists and
physician assistants to an experience
which helps cement
their interest and dreams.”
The program began with
Lincoln-Way Central students
visiting Presence St.
Joseph in the mid-1990s.
Since then, partnerships have
formed between other area
hospitals as well. Lincoln-
Way East students attend St.
James Hospital in Olympia
Fields and Silver Cross Hospital,
and Lincoln-Way West
students attend Presence St.
Joseph as well. The program
accepts senior A&P Medical
students through an application
and interview process.
“Each week at the hospital,
we shadow different departments
to understand the different
day to day tasks that
take place and what the reality
of each job is,” says senior
Katherine Kedzior. “…I
am able to experience actual
patient to employee interactions
and gain a better understanding
of what type of field
I would like to go into.”
The experiential learning
aspects of the course draw
the interest of many. The
class meets for two periods
per day, giving students time
to examine and study each
topic in-depth. During the
first semester, students complete
the coursework; during
the second semester, students
travel to the hospital during
class to complete the observations.
At all Lincoln-Way campuses,
the A&P Medical
teachers invite medical professionals
to serve as guest
speakers in their classrooms.
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