Patient Profile
About a year ago, Skipper Tate was “at his wits end.” A former mail carrier, Tate had lost his job, his home and was in the process of getting divorced. He moved from California to Oregon with a number of health problems and no insurance. To make matters worse, he developed a severe tooth ache. Fortunately for Tate, his mother is a patient at VG Cornelius where providers directed him to the Virginia Garcia dental program in Hillsboro.
“Skipper had a badly abscessed tooth that needed to come out,” said dental director, Dr. Lisa Bozzetti. “But when I took his blood pressure, it was so high that dental surgery was out of the question.” Bozzetti was able to get Tate into VG Hillsboro immediately where he began treatment for high blood pressure. Once his blood pressure was under control, his dental surgery could be scheduled.
“I had my tooth taken out and am feeling good now,” said Tate. In the course of treating Tate for high blood pressure, physicians at VG Hillsboro discovered other health problems that Tate needed to address. He is now a clinic patient with a case manager and regular medical care. He is also being encouraged to make healthy lifestyle changes.
“What amazed me is how respectful everybody is at Virginia Garcia,” said Tate. “They are so caring. They said, let’s talk about what’s wrong and what we can do to fix it. And they really listen.”
“I’m just glad we were able to treat Skipper before things got much worse,” said Bozzetti. “As a dentist, I don’t have much opportunity to save a life. This was as close as I come.”
The staff at VG Hillsboro has also assisted Tate in his application for the Oregon Health Plan so that his regular medical care can be covered. “They have my greatest gratitude,” said Tate “Especially Dr. Bozzetti.”