KeystoneExplorer | Fall 2023 3 executive director’s message | The Value of PEAK Steve Neidlinger, CAE Longtime PAGD leader and willing volunteer Dr. Kurt Laemmer died in July 2023 (more on Kurt in a later article). And while PAGD and its leadership have taken the opportunity to celebrate and mourn Kurt, the practical concern of his dental office and the community he serves was also present. Who will follow up with his patients if treatment had started? How will Kurt’s office staff continue to produce, and therefore get paid? How will this rural and isolated community have access to quality dental care? We often discuss the value of PEAK, the PAGD Mastertrack, in terms of what it can help you achieve. Sharper skills. Less referrals. Fellowship and Mastership. But something much more difficult to quantify is the value of the camaraderie that PEAK generates among its participants. And it is this camaraderie that helped to keep Signature Smile Designs in Bradford and Smethport, PA open and able to see patients. • Dr. Ray Johnson, Kurt’s friend and mentee from nearby Warren, took days and weekends away from his busy practice to complete treatments and triage cases with the dental team. • Dr. Ann Miller from Chambersburg (195 miles away) cancelled a planned sabbatical and utilized a transition in her own practice to make several multiday overnight trips to Bradford to see patients. • Dr. Jim Seitz utilized some of the time freed up due to his semi-retirement and trekked up from Bedford (167 miles away) to fill in a few days during Kurt’s hospital stay. • Dr. Amy Pieri, recent grad from the lauded Pittsburgh VA residency program (181 miles away) and first time PEAK attendee in Philadelphia 2023, paused her new grad transition to see patients in Bradford. • Dr. Fred Lally from Tunkhannock (205 miles away) took time away from his rural practice and made his away across Route 6 to help. • Local friends and colleagues Dr. Brian Volpe, Dr. Holly Mauser, and Dr. Ryan Koch filled in a few days. • Dr. Andrew Stewart from Lebanon (237 miles) had his bags packed to see patients in Bradford when he got the call with the good news in September that a new owner was stepping in. Which could be the best news of all. After coordinating with Kurt’s family, Ray, and several brokers and consultants, when this article was written in early October, it looks like Kurt’s practice will be sold and in good hands. There are still some details to work out, but assuming they do, the practice will stay vital, the team will stay busy, and the community will have an option in dentists. This gets to the true value of PEAK. While the ability to do molar endo or all-on-fours may get to some of the value of PEAK, it’s the friendships that make a difference in each other’s lives. Kurt’s friends in PAGD and PEAK stepped up in a time when he needed them most. And we smile as we remember Kurt and remind ourselves that he was there for us as well. “... something much more difficult to quantify is the value of the camaraderie that PEAK generates among its participants.” Dr. Ray Johnson with the team from Signature Smile Designs Celebrating Dr. Kurt Laemmer
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