Readers respond to ‘Dental Robin Hood’

by Daphne Young

First, let me say THANK YOU for all the love that SF Bay View readers shared with us in response to the December story, “Dental Robin Hood.”

We truly appreciate the community outpoor with great comments and memories that were shared by those who wrote to us. But, we also want to clarify that the story was not meant to mention every Black doctor or dentist who ever worked in the Bayview community. Our purpose was to show the disparity in Bayview, which has only two clinics providing medical and dental services to a community of over 35,000 residents.

Nowhere else in San Francisco is medical and/or dental care limited to just two locations: the Southeast Family Health Center, run by the San Francisco Public Health Department, and the Marin Health and Wellness Center in Bayview, which is now located in what was formerly the Coleman Medical Center.

Our goal was to highlight the work that Dr. Rubin Sorrell II and the staff at the MHWC in Bayview are doing NOW for residents in this underserved community. It’s also important to recognize that most neighborhoods in this city have multiple medical and dental offices. But, of course that is not the case in Bayview. And, we stand behind our original comment that there was a huge gap in Black healthcare providers in the Bayview after Dr. Coleman’s death.

Dr. Huey P. Madison II, who worked at the Coleman Medical Center, wrote to us and reminded us that there were doctors and dentists working there well after Dr. Coleman’s death until he moved his practice in 2011. But, as our article noted, the MHWC moved into the Coleman Clinic in 2017. So, for several years the Coleman doors were closed. And that was a true hardship for our community because Bayview residents had to go elsewhere for medical or dental care for themselves and their families. So, whether it was a few years or close to a decade, it is our belief that the Bayview community of residents suffered from not having consistent medical and dental offices available to residents for a number of years. During that time, many people moved their healthcare needs to the nearby Southeast Family Health Center, or out of the Bayview community altogether. 

The point of our story was to remind Bayview residents that the building where the historic Coleman Medical Center was housed for decades is back in business, now under the leadership of the Marin Health and Wellness Center, and good health and dental care services are available right here in the neighborhood, again.

Plus, we are fortunate enough, again, to have Black and Brown doctors working to provide good healthcare and dental services in the Bayview. This was the point of the “Dental Robin Hood” story. 

Daphne Young is a freelance journalist in San Francisco who currently writes and reports for the SF Bay View and the SF Chronicle. She also fills in as an anchor and reporter at KQED Radio. The Chicago native has won numerous awards over the years and is a general assignment reporter who covers everything from breaking news to social justice, business, sports and entertainment. Contact her at [email protected].

Thank you once again for reading and sharing your thoughts. Wishing you health and wellness.

Daphne Young is a freelance journalist in San Francisco who currently writes and reports for the SF Bay View and the SF Chronicle. She also fills in as an anchor and reporter at KQED Radio. The Chicago native has won numerous awards over the years and is a general assignment reporter who covers everything from breaking news to social justice, business, sports and entertainment. Contact her at [email protected].

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