NEWS

Every year, readers of the Vancouver Business Journal are invited to nominate companies and professionals in Vancouver and Southwest Washington who are a pleasure to do business with. Dentus was voted the Best in Business for Dental Care Providers for 2015, an award we’re honored to receive. The community’s vote of confidence has certainly put a smile on our faces.

Almost 3,000 votes were cast to determine which nominees made this list across nearly 70 categories. These are businesses customers felt provided high quality service – the kind of place they’d recommend if asked.

We are grateful our patients think we belong on this list and look forward to providing quality dental care in the future. If there is a local business you think does an outstanding job, watch for the Best in Business awards next year and remember to make a nomination.

For a complete list of 2015 winners, visit: http://www.vbjusa.com/news/top-stories/2015-best-in-business

Dr. Jacqueline Angell was named 2015’s Citizen of the Year by the Washington State Dental Association – a steeped tradition and the highest honor given by the Association. Nominated by dentists throughout the state, Dr. Angell has been called a guardian angel of sorts by her colleagues.

With a degree from the University of Minnesota, Dr. Angell learned to quickly assess patient needs when she began work in Alaska with the Indian Health Service where patients were flown in from miles away. After her time in Alaska, Dr. Angell moved to the Lower 48 and settled in the Northwest. “This place is stunning” she says, “My heart rate goes down, everything flows easy in the woods.” Her volunteer work in the Northwest ranges from helping the homeless through Portland’s Night Strike program, volunteer work at New Heights Clinic for the under-insured working class, and Dentus’s Pay It Forward program among many others.

Founded by Dentus, Pay it Forward allows a patient of record to nominate a family member or friend for dental care at the office. The beauty of the program happens when the customer takes its mission to heart; sharing in Dentus’ passion for helping others.

Reflecting on work in the inner city, Dr. Angell remembers a time she extracted a tooth from a tattooed homeless man at the Night Strike program, “The reason I like volunteering with the homeless is because instead of just avoiding them I want to get to know them.” In a chance encounter, she’d meet the man again one night in Portland when he approached her for money. Dr. Angell recognized the man, reminded him of the extraction a couple nights ago, and relief swept over the exchange as they were able to have a meaningful conversation – not just a panhandling acquaintance. Connections like this that shift the conventional dynamic and narrative (coincidental or not) have formed much of the basis for Dr. Angell’s charitable work. When she’s not supporting the community locally, she’s taking her skillset and empathy to developing countries across the globe.

From Haiti to Africa to Vietnam, her outreach is widespread. While overseas, she has collaborated with struggling communities to cultivate an enriching experience for everyone involved. Dr. Angell donated funds for two portable dental units and a new van for the Evergreen4Kids program in Habanero (65 miles from Haiti), as well as, helped supply clean drinking water to the community and continues to provide generous support to the local school. “Because of the relationships we’re building there, together we’re poised to make a difference” Dr. Angell says. She has returned every year since 2007 and has no plans to stop this charitable tradition. In Togo, Africa, Dr. Angell taught the only nurse there about basic dental care and trained the townspeople to set up a dental program. While laying the groundwork for an efficient organization in Africa, “It was life-changing for me as an [organizational] architect” she explains.

Complimented as a “wonderful mix of huge professionalism and awe-inspiring compassion”, Dr. Angell offers a seat in her chair to people of all walks of life. Dentus is proud to highlight her compassion and contributions.

Read the full article >