Trip to Tacachale

Ok, now that I have posted my latest view of the state, I'd like to start by apologizing to everyone I offended by doing so. My map of Florida is beyond politically incorrect but I hope a sense of humor will overcome numerous valid objections.

I'm doing my update on Sunday because I spent Friday and Saturday in Gainesville at Tacachale, the former Sunland Center and now an adult facility for intellectually disabled residents. I saw one patient who has resided there for 53 years, admitted at age 3. I was invited up by one of the terrific pediatric dentists who staffs Tacachale, for despite the chronologic age of the patients, they fall within the pediatric spectrum mentally and therefore dental treatments must be planned along those lines.

I was able to interview 3 staff members and also contact the nursing director by phone, which should lead to 3 more interviews. The only down side was that none of the families there during my visit were eligible for the study. I knew these would be the hardest interviews to get but I will persist. This visit furthered my belief in the incredible dedication of the staff to the mission of these facilities and the obvious empathy that the staff have for the residents. They provide, and did provide, a terrific, and needed, service.

While I was there, staff from two groups homes brought patients from Jacksonville and Orlando for dental care. That is illustrative of how difficult it is to get basic services for these patients. I'll be visiting Gainesville more in the near future as the University of Florida library has some important archival documents on Sunland that I need to review. This was a very helpful trip.