A couple of weeks ago I finished up my last patient, went back to my desk, and took off my jacket. I sat there for a while thinking about the last 15 years of my career. I thought of this building, this team, and these patients- of how small we were in the beginning, the excitement of growth, and all the twists and turns along the way. It’s been a wild ride. Then I stood up and walked past all the empty rooms to the back door where I usually leave at the end of the day. I paused for a second, looked back, and then looked out into the town and community surrounding me. I took a deep breath, and stepped over the threshold out of my old office as the door closed behind me.

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A lot has led up to this moment, and the last year was one of the busiest and most transformative times of my life. It is impossible to include all the small details, or the conversations, or the multiple difficult decisions that have taken place along the way- partly because of narrative convenience, and partly because things have evolved so much and so quickly that I don’t know if I even could. Here is a very brief and overly-linear storyline that fills in most of the questions that people might have.

In 2014-2021 I worked at one of the very few offices in town that accepted Medicaid patients- most of that time as the lead doctor in a small satellite office as part of a larger organization. We worked hard, and we were very good at what we did, and people liked us, and we grew. As this happened, I got a real sense that we were an important part of the community, and it was extremely rewarding to see my patients in the grocery stores or at my kids’ school events. This was a regular occurrence, and almost universally they would come up and thank me for how they had been treated. They would tell their stories, share their excitement and frustration over small life events, and then introduce their friends and family. At our office, we were providing something for them that they couldn’t receive in many other places- and a lot of times this went beyond great dentistry. For some, in a very real way, we were giving them dignity.

In the early 2020s our area experienced extreme growth, largely accelerated by the covid pandemic. The Wall Street Journal did a piece about how we were among the fastest growing communities in the nation, and the median income skyrocketed to nearly double what it was before. There was a twelve-month period during this time where an average of twenty new residents per day were moving in from surrounding states! To say that this influx caused some growing pains in our little community would be a huge understatement, and it fundamentally changed the economy- mostly for the better. 

But not for everyone. While a lot of industries and business thrived in this new atmosphere, there were still large cohorts of people who were left out of this growth and were increasingly being left behind. To a great extent, the growth was happening because of the hard work of these people, and yet their wages couldn’t keep up with the rapidly rising cost of living. Dentists were hit by this as well, and seeing Medicaid or otherwise marginalized groups became unfeasible for many private practices in order to keep up with the economic and political realities of the area.

As for us- we flourished. Our patient-focused philosophy, new ownership, and the addition of new procedures made it so that we, as a practice, were doing better than ever. But as market forces shifted, like almost every other practice in the area, it became increasingly difficult to sustain our traditional patient base. We expanded our team, and eventually built a new location with more space and better facilities for a growing demographic of patients seeking quality high-end dentistry. My own skillset grew, and I was able to see and do things, clinically, that I never dreamed of being a part of when I was in dental school. It’s been cool. My past patients though- those who were already falling through the cracks, didn’t have anywhere else to go.

These changes were largely responsible for my decision to go back to school and get my master’s degree in public health. Seeing, in real time, how much external factors could affect the health and welfare of individual people and families was both fascinating and a little bit troubling to me, and I wanted to understand it better. Since entering the field last fall, I’ve spent almost a year immersing myself in the intersection of social science, politics, data analysis, and medicine, and I'm more intrigued than ever by how these distinct forces can be intentionally leveraged to impact communities at scale.

I also wanted to continue to provide, as a clinician, for people who didn’t have access to the expansive offerings of private practice in the area. On my days off, I started moonlighting at a public health clinic in Spokane to dip my toes into the world of large, public health administration. Like with the education, I was immediately taken by the multiple moving parts of the operation, as well as by the difficult philosophical decisions that went into its management. Health care, as I saw it, was increasingly being defined more and more by decisions in boardrooms and political committees than those made in the operatory. Working in this world required a specialized skillset, but instead of steady hands and clinical knowledge, the toolbox consisted of analytics, systems thinking, and the ability to communicate across and between groups and cultures.

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Last spring, Heritage Health, the third largest community health center in the state of Idaho, was looking for a new director for their dental program. They were undergoing a massive expansion, bringing dental into a large new facility called The Center For Healthy Living, where it would be integrated with multiple other health services as a hub of public health for all of North Idaho. From there, dental clinics could expand even further into neighboring counties, either with mobile units, or by expanding the offerings of existing brick-and-mortar offices within the organization. In doing this, people who have found themselves without a medical home would increasingly have access to services that are desperately needed. 

So yeah- They needed someone to help guide the organization through this next chapter, and despite my relative inexperience with large-scale operations, they asked if I’d be willing to step into that role.

I said yes, and joined their amazing team a couple of months ago. At that time, my world started spinning, and has not stopped since.

Suddenly, I find myself sitting on a statewide political committee for the Idaho State Dental Association. Suddenly, I am enrolled not only at Boston University for my master’s, but at Harvard Medical School as well for executive leadership training. Suddenly I am setting up lunches and coffee meet-ups with other stakeholders in our community, or giving PowerPoint presentations to a room full of executives, or sitting around a table with other physicians, behavioral specialists, and administrators. Suddenly, I’m applying what I learn in class in real time, earning a seat at the table in 'the room where it happens.' It is exciting, but deeply daunting. The technical requirements don't intimidate me, but the responsibility does- the commitment that I have to my patients (who I still treat), to my organization, and mostly to the entire region that has, in a very real way, become my new workplace.

So, back to this last week…I finished up my last patient, went back to my desk, and took off my jacket. I sat there for a while thinking about the last 15 years of my career. It’s been a wild ride. Then I stood up and walked past all the empty rooms to the back door where I usually leave at the end of the day. I paused for a second, looked back, and then looked out into the town and community surrounding me. I took a deep breath, and stepped over the threshold into my new office as the door closed behind me.

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A quick note to my patients at Syringa: While my primary mission is shifting toward expanding public health across North Idaho, I am not disappearing! I will still look forward to seeing patients at Syringa Dental and Implants for the foreseeable future, though my hours might look a little different. I look forward to continuing to care for each of you while also helping build something that is desperately needed for our entire community. 

A quick note from Rachel: There are very few times in life when you go through a shift, and everything changes. Since September, life has been a pretty wild ride. Things have changed fast, and it has been incredible watching Logan take on these new challenges with gusto. It must be said that Syringa dental is family. I consider myself a de facto member of this family, and I am not sure I will ever experience that again with future practices (this has been tough for both of us). I love you guys- and we are not going anywhere. I am looking forward to football parties, monthly Bunco nights, fantasy football trash talk, ladies nights, and group dates. Family sticks together, and we will see you soon! 💜

1850. I think I'll remember that number for the rest of my life, right along with 1022 and 260 (these are home addresses I grew up in)

We used to be right next to Little Caesars. I loved these little pizzas and was on a first-name basis with everyone who worked there.

Here are a few pictures of the team over the years.

Have a good week!

Maren's NY/DC Trip

Wow, This felt like such a fever dream… but all jokes aside this was the best experience of my life. And now for the photo dump that is mostly in order.

This is Larry, I took a bunch of pictures of him but this is the only one that got into the photo dump also this happens to be my first time on a plane. Larry the fish has been with me since 2024, and he has been in my pocket since! We do life together.

this is a one more picture from the plane. It was just a cool experience.

At the end of our trip, we found out that our plane was delayed like 3 hours and it was like 3 in the morning when we boarded, so when everyone was sleeping on the floor. I got a Mod pizza at like 2 in the morning!

This was at Amish town, best pretzel of my life. An Amish family invited us to dinner. Everything was homemade. It was cool because they had the animals that they got the milk and butter from for dinner, so whenever they need a restock, they just make their own ingredients! We taught the kids about 6/7. The family was nice, and the kids were confused by our phones. One of the kids came on the bus and he got to honk the horn. It looked like it was the best experience of his life.

This was the cutest baby goat ever at Amish town, they were everywhere and so cute. I have now seen a baby goat smile, and I have JOY.

Funny story- Emma and I were riding the elevator to get to our room from the pool. There was a person in front of us on his phone. I was being silly and dancing behind him. When we got out of the elevator, Emma turned to me and said, "You know he was on Facetime, right? He saw all of that, and so did the person on the call!." We laughed so hard about that.

This is a photo I found on the web. Sadly, I did not get a picture of myself doing the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier ceremony. I was one of two people in my class chosen to do perform the Changing of the Guard. We got the seventh woman ever as the person becoming the new guard. I also dressed up to show respect for this honor. To be considered, I had to learn how they walked and rehearse the steps, write an essay, and take a test. It was a neat experience and I am glad I was able to participate and do it.

This was at the WW2 museum. I don't do it justice when I say it was depressing. I was the first to start getting teary eyed. Seeing all of the photos and artifacts made the whole thing so real.

I got to see the Declaration of Independence, it was neat. but the writing was too fine so I couldn't read it. I can't believe how small their handwriting could be!

This snazzy picture was right above the declaration of independence, but why they had to give him so much steaze is not known to me.

I know what your thinking, "What the what am I looking at?". That's about what I say, too. It was actually a really cool place. We went to a old house with a bunch of secret doors and by what I have heard, there are more then 100 if them. A really rich guy, a million years ago, made a mansion and it is now a museum.

Random thing- it is really funny that me, Addy ,and Ev have all seen some kind of  Minion ad in Times Square!

Ok, just one more pictures of Larry in NY. He was living his best life.

This is the boat that we took to see the Statue of Liberty.

This penguin is Addy's that she got from NY at the Statue of Liberty when she went, so I was on my own mini side quest to get this picture by the statue for Addy.

Idk what this picture is at this point, all I remember is that on this day we went to like 100 memorials in like two seconds. And it was like a million degrees. We were kind of dying. I liked it though. It is important to know that Jefferson's face was creepily watching us over the water.

this is just a cool picture of The Rock. I found a few questionable things on the ground walking through the city. It was all new to me, and it was cool to walk there. There were food trucks everywhere! On street corners you could find two food trucks next to each other selling the exact same thing with the exact same set up. There was also a homeless guy with a pet rat. That was pretty sweet. 

I got this at The Rock...enjoy the nightmares that this will be in. 

 

This was a cool Italian place we went to in Little Italy, I was kind of disappointed at Chinatown and little Italy because it was basically just a tourist trap with little to nothing to do with China or Italy, but this place was cool.

 Story time- so we were just eating and talking when this like little 4 foot tall Italian man comes in and starts absolutely ripping on the key board. We all just got up and conga lined, did the can can, etc. It was wild.

This is just me on the bus passing time.

This was yummy food, but we went there after the plane and bus so we were all just dead tired.

This is just me when we went to the giant indoor greenhouse flower garden, it was a cool time filler. We saw frogs in the leaves, and it was the best.

MAMMA J!!!! we love mamma J. She was our GOATED bus driver that we all love. She had an intercom in the bus for us to make music requests for our extra long bus rides. I still miss her.

Lindsey's Birthday and other Tid Bits

The simple purpose of this blog is to fill in all of the little happenings that make up our daily life. It would be easy to gloss over and forget these events, but there is permanence and magic that comes with journaling.

The blog has been a little bit hit or miss recently, but we are now back on track! 

Lindsey's Birthday

Lindsey turned 12 this month, and that is a milestone that we simply can not miss with this girl. Come with me on a walk down memory lane. Lindsey has always been energetic, happy, chatty, and fun to be around. Here are some highlights:

We must begin with Lindsey's head. It is legitimately the perfect round shape. No joke, I think this is Logan's favorite part of her. He will often be heard saying, even today, "Lindsey, I like your head." This may sound extremely weird, but it has an affection to it that can't be matched. It is a thing that just is. Lindsey has a nice head.

I love Lindsey's smile. It lights up EVERYthing and it always has. 

Since L could walk, she has been outside. Often she can be found out in the snow, or on the trampoline. She doesn't like to sit still, and outside is her happy place. I remember being very happy when she could put her snow clothes on by herself because her constant need to be outside necessitated a lot of outfit changes.

At two years old I would always have a list of words the kids could say because the doctor would inevitably ask how many words were spoken by the age of two (50 was the benchmark). All of the kids hit this mark just right, and I estimated over 600 words for our sweet Lindz at her two year check up.

Lindz was extremely mischievous and always up to something. This is one of our many Hiawatha trail rides, and Lindsey had just thrown her shoe 250 feet down the ravine. Logan was able to retrieve it, but these shenanigans were pretty par for the course!

Look Dad! I am a burrito! Linsey has always had a 'thing' for her blanket. The blanket has changed over the years... but the 'thing' has not.

This girl is a fish. She could live in the water full time. She misses our boat more than anyone else and will still occasionally bring up boating memories.

Lindsey full accepted the challenge of keeping up with her siblings. She was climbing around the time she first started to walk. I found these shoes recently and they are tinier than the palm of my hand. 

This picture fully shows who is the little boss in our family. Lindsey would run everything if she could. She is also, to this day, one of the most responsible kids.

This girlie marches to her own drum. Base layers? What are those? I have seen everything from crop tops to tutus under this girls ski gear! 

 

Don't let this cuteness fool you. It must be said that this girl could be nicknamed 'dropsy' for the absentminded craziness that is Lindsey. She leaves a lovely trail wherever she goes. On the bright side, She is never hard to find!

Lindz has been doing Irish for a while now. This picture shows her poise and confidence that she carries with her everywhere she goes, and I am excited to sit back and watch her grow and rock this thing called life.

Thanks for taking this trip down memory lane with me. We love you Lindz!

Lindsey had a fun sleepover birthday party in Wallace. She had a rainbow theme that incorporated painting on canvases, and creating their own birthday cakes. These girls have all been friends forever, and it is a good time when they are together.

Recently, Lindsey told me that she hates the sound of silence, and whenever it is quiet she will talk. This totally tracks! Remember how she used over 600 words by the age of two? She uses her words often, and if I ever want someone to talk to, she is a good 'go to!'

Maren came up with the perfect present for Lindsey! She took her to the mall for the afternoon and they got their nails done together and went out for ice cream. This picture of Maren and Lindsey makes my heart happy!

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DajI5-avEXI/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

Adalie kept me company while the girls had their Wallace sleepover. I introduced Addy to The Fainting Goat. It did not disappoint. 

While we were in Wallace, Jackson took the opportunity to invite Aurora, Jocelyn, and Seth over for an epic Dungeon and Dragons sleepover. No pictures were taken, but plenty of sweet and salty snacks were consumed, and D and D reigned. 

Huckleberries!

Huckleberries are finally here! We have ventured into the mountains multiple times so far, and we have yet to be disappointed. Huckleberries are scarce this year, but the excitement of the hunt is wonderful!

Climbing

It is still fun having Marissa and her family living close by! We climb together as often as we can manage to get away! I recently went indoor climbing with Adalie and Maren. We have a blast, but didn't get any pictures. Drat!

Theater

We have seen a few plays in the last two weeks:

On a whim, we decided to go see Next to Normal: In Concert at Stage Left Theater. I have had this one on my radar for a long time since this play has stuck with me. We didn't know what to expect with the in concert part, but Stage Left did not disappoint. They never do!

Adalie went to see Tuck Everlasting with her friend, Faith. "It was pretty great and better than I expected. I had a wonderful night out." -Adalie

Come From Away has been a favorite since Logan and I first saw it on Broadway. We shared it with our family when it came to Spokane, and It was Adalie's top play for a long time. It has a special place in our hearts, and last Sunday, I had the opportunity to interpret for the Coeur d'Alene Summer Theater's version with a great team. The cast did a great job, and I loved every minute of prepping for this one. It was a fun challenge due to the quick dialogue and song/speaking style. CDA Summer Theater provides an interpreted performance for every show they do. It is wonderful having them in our community! Titanic: the Musical is coming up soon!

Out with Jack

Jack took ME out! he wanted to say thank you for everything that I do for him. He is a pretty cool guy. Thanks Jack!

Leavenworth

Evelyn's Trip in her own words:

Hey, this is Evelyn. Josh and I went on a trip to Leavenworth this last weekend. We slept at the trailhead of Colchuck Lake, and then got up in the morning to hike the five miles to the lake. It was gorgeous, as usual, but about halfway up, Josh saw a bear ahead of us, with red in its mouth, looking right at him. We backed away slowly, and it paralleled the trail following us. It eventually passed by us and was on its way, but it was definitely pretty scary. Part of it was really cool though. The lake was so much prettier than I remember, and we had lunch before coming down again. After the hike we went to Leavenworth to walk around some shops, and then we had a Bavarian Pretzel in an outside restaurant that looked on to Main Street. It was a very fun trip, and hard to summarize into just one paragraph, and we had a ton of fun, and I really loved getting to show him one of the coolest areas I have been in!

Have a good week!