ST. FRANCIS, S.D. – With the need for proper dental care always increasing on the Rosebud reservation in South Dakota, the Jesuit-run St. Francis Mission is looking to do something about it.

Since the fall of 2007, the mission has been acquiring used dental equipment, from chairs to X-ray machines and everything in between. Now that most of the equipment has been collected, the mission is on the prowl for volunteers. The Rev. John Hatcher, S.J., has been contacting Jesuit universities with strong dental programs, including Creighton, to start a volunteer program.

Dr. Jack Boarini, a retired dentist from Antioch, Ill., met Hatcher 10 years ago. Recently, he has been traveling to St. Francis in the fall to go hunting with his sons, also dentists.

“I met one of the gals who works for the mission and she told me she had a toothache,” Boarini said. “She told me she had to drive 75 miles to get her teeth looked at. That is unacceptable.”

The reservation, with a population of 20,000, has only two full-time dentists who work in the hospital.

Boarini has been in dentistry over 50 years and started clinics in inner-city Chicago in the 1960s. More recently, he started a mobile clinic in Maui, Hawaii. When he heard about the need for more dentists on the Rosebud reservation, he started placing ads in dental journals for donations.

“Poverty, whether in the cities like Chicago or in rural areas, is basically the same,” he said. “And the dental care is the same, so this is something I have seen before and thought I could do something about.”

Dental offices started donating supplies to the Illinois office where his sons work, and Boarini has hauled four loads of supplies so far. He said people were glad to donate for a good cause and everyone has been enthusiastic.

After getting supplies, he called his dental supplier, Henry Schein Dental Suppliers, to assist with the plans for the clinic. The clinic will be set up in the former administration building, and will contain four dental chairs, two X-ray machines, a pan-X (a machine that makes full X-rays of all the teeth) and a lab.

The Rev. John Hatcher, S.J., president of St. Francis Mission, said the majority of equipment is ready to be installed, and he is just waiting on dental supplies to be donated.

“I hope to get it up and going in July,” Hatcher said.

It will cost an estimated $25,000 to have everything set up, he said, and around $100,000 to hire staff. The direct-mail campaign for the mission is collecting donations specifically for this purpose.

While most of the work would be pro bono, employees of the mission and the tribe could use their dental insurance to cover some of the costs. Hatcher said this clinic fits in well with the mission’s strategic plan.

“The issue of health came up at the last [St. Francis Mission] board [of directors] meeting, and this is one way the mission can address the issue of health for anyone living on the reservation,” Hatcher said.

Gene Latham, equipment sales specialist for Henry Schein Dental Suppliers, started drawing up the plans for the clinic over four months ago. Although his company is a private practice, he said he likes working on community projects.

“This should turn out to be a great dental facility,” Latham said, “and I look forward to getting to see it when it’s all finished.”

Dr. Mark Boarini, Jack Boarnini’s son and dentist, hauled the most recent load of goods from Illinois, containing one dental chair, an X-ray machine and various office supplies. He said the supplies were donated from five different offices, his own included.

“People were just thrilled to help out,” the younger Boarini said.

He said the first order of business would be to find volunteer dentists on a regular basis, and then train people locally to become dental hygienists and work regularly in the clinic.

John Swift, vice president for Buildings and Grounds, is in charge of plumbing and electricity for the clinic. Swift said if all the supplies come soon enough, he could get it ready to go by summer. He said a dental clinic couldn’t come soon enough.

“I have two children and I have to drive them out to Pierre to see a dentist,” Swift said. “They just can’t get everyone care. The schools try, but there are just too many kids.”

Swift said this would mean something not only for the kids, but also for everyone living on the reservation.

“I have lived here all my life and this is the first time I can remember this issue being addressed,” he said. “It’s a huge problem, and it’s been this way as long as I can remember.”

Donations for the dental clinic could be sent to the St. Francis Mission Foundation, PO box 499, St Francis SD 57572.