Two area dentists will be watching '60 Minutes'

Drs. Ross and Cangelosi participate in helping the underserved

By RENEE JEAN
Daily Journal Assistant Managing Editor

Two area dentists may be part of a segment on “60 Minutes” airing Sunday about the Remote Area Medical organization which brings medical care to remote rural areas that are underserved.

Dr. Douglas Ross and Dr. Joseph Cangelosi were among dentists at a recent RAM event in Knoxville, Tenn. The “60 Minutes” producer Henry Schuster brought a large crew to film the event and interview volunteers at the site.

Ross was among those interviewed and Cangelosi was also at the event during filming. Both dentists were working on the surgery line.

“I was discussing with a patient the fact I was going to have to do some surgery and that I didn’t have benefit of an X-ray. The camera was right there, microphone up here,” Ross said with gestures to indicate the approximate location.

Ross was reassuring the patient that the lack of an X-ray machine would not compromise his ability to do the work. He would draw on his extensive experience to ensure the patient’s safety. “That was my responsibility as a practicing dentist to explain where we were,” he said.

Later Ross discussed the situation with crew members, and put the network on the spot a little. He suggested they donate some equipment to RAM.

“Why not?” Ross asked. “This is not a rich outfit. This is all volunteer stuff for No. 1 and No. 2, those instruments have been given, the supplies we use have been given and da da da.  ‘So, how about CBS donating an X-ray unit?’ I don’t know if they will, but I asked.”

He plans to follow up on it over the next year to see if they will.

The dentists aren’t sure if their part in the event will make the final cut on the “60 Minutes” program, but you can find out by watching it at 7 p.m. EST (6 p.m. Central). Check your TV guide for local channel listings.

Ross has participated in seven of the RAM events offering his services as a dentist. He also helped organize a RAM event in St. Francois County in Farmington in 2001. More than 200 volunteers participated in the two-day event and 700 patients were served.

At Knoxville, the RAM event served 920 patients and performed 1,343 services. Of those, 3.4 percent were children. There were 276 volunteers.

“A majority of the people there were requiring oral surgery — removal of teeth that were nonrestorable,” Dr. Cangelosi said. “The first thing we started with was a man needing $6,000 worth of oral surgery in order to receive a kidney transplant. He didn’t have the money, so we provided him with that service.”

Dentists from all over the country were at the event, from New York, Cleveland and of course there were the two from Missouri.

Cangelosi also went with Ross to New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.

“We worked on dirt floors,” Cangelosi said. “I went back to New Orleans last year for Operation Blessing. Different group, but same attitude. It is a rewarding event.”

Cangelosi enjoys the sense he is giving back to the community. “We are very very fortunate and we’ve got good practices,” he said. “We feel we can benefit society. We’re able to devote our skills one day like that to people we feel like need it. Here was a man in kidney failure, who needed the surgery and it was financially impossible or at least inconvenient for him. I saw people after Katrina, sit and wait in a triage situation. We were working in tents and temperatures of 40 degrees and the waits were long. One to six hours for treatment.”

Cangelosi said many dentists are willing to donate care on a pro bono basis, but legal problems limit their ability to be generous. An event like RAM provides blanket liability coverage, protecting the charitable efforts of good Samaritans.

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