OPERATION STAND DOWN
April 22, 2023 - On a cold Saturday morning, students, staff, faculty and volunteers gathered at the Indiana University Northwest Dental Hygiene School in Gary, Indiana for Operation Stand Down. The volunteers had put the word out at the American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), local radio station WJOB and county Veterans service offices that a free event for vets was to be held that morning. Operation Stand Down is a free program for any veteran that was started by Dr. Daniel Fridh who is a past president of the Indiana Dental Association and the current president of the International College of Dentists USA Section. The program allows the vets to have their dental needs fulfilled whether they need a prophylaxis or a full mouth rehabilitation. X-rays were taken and each veteran’s mouth was triaged. Each will be assigned a volunteer dentist to complete their treatment.