[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 180 (Wednesday, November 1, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S5313]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




          TRIBUTE TO DR. REIKO JOHNSON AND DR. NATHAN SWANSON

 Ms. HASSAN. Mr. President, I am honored to recognize Dr. Reiko 
Johnson of Newfields and Dr. Nathan Swanson of Durham as October's 
Granite Staters of the Month. The duo is working to provide free dental 
care for patients in need, including recently hosting a Dental Day of 
Caring this past month.
  In March 2021, recently vaccinated and with an urge to give back to 
her community, Dr. Johnson began looking for medical volunteer 
opportunities. In the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, she had 
provided telehealth services as a primary care provider at Catholic 
Medical Center, and she was itching to be face-to-face with patients 
again. When she was not able to find a volunteer clinic in the area, 
she decided to take matters into her own hands and start her own mobile 
clinic, modeled on a free health clinic that she had previously 
volunteered at in Hampton.
  Dr. Johnson established the Volunteers in Medicine of New Hampshire--
VIM-NH--and held its first free clinic in January of this year, 
providing primary and acute care services for uninsured and 
underinsured patients and connecting them to long-term primary care 
providers. However, over the months that followed, it became clear to 
Dr. Johnson that many of the clinic's patients had critical dental 
issues that she and her volunteers were not equipped to deal with.
  To address this issue, Dr. Johnson partnered with Dr. Nathan Swanson 
last month to host VIM-NH's first Dental Day of Caring. Dr. Swanson had 
learned about Dr. Johnson's work from Emily Komerska, a UNH pre-med 
student and longtime family friend, and he immediately knew he wanted 
to get involved. During the event, which took place at Dr. Swanson's 
office using his equipment, the 4 volunteer dentists and 6 assistants 
provided 19 extractions, 10 fillings, and 1 root canal--donating 
$11,531 total in services.
  Dr. Johnson and Dr. Swanson's partnership is a shining example of the 
Granite State spirit of coming together to help people in need. Many of 
the clinic's patients, including people experiencing homelessness and 
people without insurance, would not be able to receive this vital care 
otherwise. I applaud Dr. Johnson and Dr. Swanson's dedication to making 
a difference, and I look forward to seeing how they continue their 
Dental Day of Caring initiative.

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