DCMC Dental Clinic and Preventative Program

DCMC 's consultant Wallace McKenzie DMD, and his wife Kathryn, a dental hygienist have mobilized this project, providing design input, collecting dental equipment and recruiting a Malagasy dentist, Dr. Charles Rabemahefa as Chief Dental Officer. Dr. Francis Mdoe is the Cheif Dental Officer in Training. The clinic integrates public health preventative services through community schools and planned training from visiting short-term dentists is key to the program. Dr. James Herrick (Austin, Minnesota)was the first to offer a two week course in advanced restorative dental techniques.

The 2,000 square foot dental clinic is part of the project's first phase and was completed along with eight staff houses and the site infrastructure in August 2006. It includes a library/training space, two operatories for high tech dental needs, and two operatories for low tech dentistry. The dental program established a dental team in Dodoma, completed an assessment and started a prevention/nutrition program in two Dodoma town schools as well as the neighboring Nytuka village primary school.

Community Health: Reproductive Child Health Center

The Reproductive Child Health Center is adjacent to the DCMC Dental Clinic and is nearing completion. As an outpatient clinic with laboratory facilities it will offer:

• Ultrasound evalulation for high risk pregnancy
• Evaluation of referrals from adjacent community clinics
• Full service HIV/AIDS clinic with anti-retroviral monitoring
• Out patient urgent care center
• Pharmacy

The center will house the community health department offices, and the information, education and communication facilities.

Community Health: Rural Dispensaries

Dr. Eunice Ketang'enyi, Community Medicine Medical Officer, and Mr. Dickson Cinunje, Public Health officer lead the community health team effort in these rural areas where DCMC manages four rural dispensaries. Janet Kenyon, DCMC's first Community Health Coordinator, developed DCMC's strategic plan which included, assessment, upgrading, staffing and policy management of the four rural Lutheran dispensaries and one first aid station.

Accomplishments in the rural area include:

• Building improvements
• Installation of communication radios, water filters, and necessary equipment
• Development of management systems and controls
• Participatory Rural Appraisals to engage community
• RCH activities and nutritional program
• Developed model HIV/AIDS prevention through skits and youth involvement

Global Health Ministries (www.ghm.org) based in Fridley Minnesota has been an invaluable partner helping DTHD procure, store and ship necessary equipment to DCMC for the dental clinic, dispensaries and RCH building.

Eighty Bed Specialized Hospital Project

Following the completion of the RCH Center, design and construction will begin on the specialized 80 bed internationnal standard medical center. Included will be an emergency room and ICU that will allow for training graduated nurses in triage, casualty stabilization and full range ICU care. Due to its limited size the scope of its activities will focus on services not available in the region. These include:

• Traumatic and restorative orthopedics
• Maxillo-facial/plastic surgery
• Cardiology with a focus on acquired pediatric diseases
• Complicated OB/Gyn including vesico-vaginal fistula repair

The DCMC complex rests on a 300 acre site which provides room for expansion into a medical center based on an integrated institute model.

Accomplishments 2003-2007

• Established legal status with DCMC Trust, Trustees and Board of Directors
• Obtained Tanzanian architectural services
• Made fact-finding trips to other East African hospitals
• Developed site infrastructure including roads, water and oxidation pond
• Completed dental clinic and eight staff houses
• Developed operational six year strategic plan
• Completed guest facility for future volunteers and temporary staff housing

DCMC Goal:

To develop a Tanzanian-US dental and medical center partnership to provide intercultural exchanges, training, sustainable excellence and mutual growth.

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