A safety-net dentist adapts and rebuilds in Helene aftermath

A safety-net dentist adapts and rebuilds in Helene aftermath

By Blaire Mirmow On a bitter November morning in Newland, North Carolina, Ashton Johanson climbed aboard the purple dental bus parked outside High County Community Health’s medical clinic.  Inside the cramped mobile unit, the floor heaters sputtered. Supplies were running low. The suction machine had been acting up for weeks. The van that was the home for the Avery Dental team for the winter months following Hurricane Helene His patient in the …