Sabino Sisters in DC Fighting for Universal Dental Care
I was thrilled to sit down and meet with Dr. Ma’Lou Sabino, Chief of Dentistry and National Consultant for U.S. Veteran Affairs; Dr. Angie Sabino-Yamada, Chief Dentist at the Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation (CHC); along with Dr. Diane Liberty, a Sacramento-based dentist originally from Guam who continues to serve patients in the CNMI. They are in Washington, D.C. for the annual American Association of Oral & Maxillofacial Surgeons (AAOMS) meeting. Readers of the newsletter may recall me sharing the amazing story of the Sabino family. Our discussion focused on the urgent gaps in oral health accessibility for veterans, the challenges and barriers to preventive and comprehensive oral care in the Marianas, and data highlighting the alarming aggressiveness of oral cancer in our islands.