Chad Johnson, a dentist from Pleasant Hill, Iowa (near Des Moines) considers volunteering in his community an important part of being a dental professional and a role model to colleagues. We are so lucky that he has been part of our volunteer team at the Iowa State Fair Health Awareness and Cancer Screening Booth for the past few years! This project partners Prevent Cancer Foundation with the John Stoddard Cancer Center at Unity Point Health, and Senator Chuck and Mrs. Barbara Grassley serve as our honorary co-chairs.
For the past few years, Dr. Chad has, with great enthusiasm, provided valuable oral cancer screenings for Iowa State Fair attendees. This past August, he screened 131 people in six hours! Two referrals were made to ENT (ear, nose and throat) physicians.
Many attendees that Dr. Chad saw were retirees over the age of 65 who no longer have dental insurance. The services he offers generally confirm their concerns about suspicious spots or growths they may have and also gives them reason to invest time and money in office visits as follow-up. Dr. Chad says that the support of Prevent Cancer helps him to bring this help to Iowans at the fair.
Oral cancer is related to drinking alcohol and using tobacco, especially in combination. Oral cancer is linked to HPV (human papillomavirus), which accounts for about 60% of cases. Learn more about how to protect yourself against HPV infection.
Dr. Johnson provides volunteer oral cancer screening to Iowans at the 2013 Iowa State Fair.
The altruism displayed by Dr. Chad is seen throughout the year. You can find him volunteering with the Des Moines Dental Center’s mobile van that provides dental services to children at Des Moines elementary schools. And every year he takes a family vacation in rural Virginia where he provides services at Bland Ministry Center.
Contact Dr. Chad through Oral Health Clinic in Pleasant Hill, IA.
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