Now celebrating its 50th year, the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic is a nonprofit that provides health care to more than 20,000 Native American patients from over 200 federally recognized tribes every year. An innovative concept has been implemented at the clinic that I find truly fascinating: training traditional dental hygienists to become Integrated Dental Hygienists (I-RDHs). Integrated dental hygiene is a new practice that incorporates treating oral health as part of overall systemic health, acknowledging the bidirectional relationship between poor dental health and other conditions including heart disease, diabetes and obesity. The clinic also offers counseling, cooking and nutrition classes, optometry and a vast array of holistic services.

I believe that the Oklahoma City Indian Clinic is the embodiment of what it means to promote health equity to serve Native Americans through preventative services, education, and a collaborative approach that treats the whole person.