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Gouverneur resident honored with Community Health Hero award

Posted 11/17/17

GOUVERNEUR -- Dr. Mark L. Franke of Gouverneur, a dentist with Community Health Center of the North Country (CHCNC), has been honored with a Community Health Hero award. The award was made by the …

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Gouverneur resident honored with Community Health Hero award

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GOUVERNEUR -- Dr. Mark L. Franke of Gouverneur, a dentist with Community Health Center of the North Country (CHCNC), has been honored with a Community Health Hero award.

The award was made by the Fort Drum Regional Health Planning Organization (FDRHPO) and the North Country Health Compass Partners.

Franke has worked in Canton at the CHCNC since 2000 and has become known in the community as the “dentist whisperer” for his unique ability to foster a trusting relationship with patients of all ages and needs, the press release announcing the award said.

“Working at the Community Health Center has its different challenges – as you can imagine – other than those encountered in other private practices,” he said. “We treat a large number of patients with special needs, and a good number of our patients are low-income individuals, including children.”

With patience, compassion and a genuine desire to help his community, Franke has volunteered his nights, weekends, and other time outside of working hours to accommodate his patients with special needs. On “Give Kids a Smile Day,” he volunteers his services to give low-income children a free dental exam, and he does the same for local senior citizens on “Senior Smile Day,” the award announcement said.

He also visits local elementary schools in February during National Children’s Dental Health Month to speak to children about the importance of oral health, and is an advocate for water fluoridation throughout St. Lawrence County’s towns and villages.

“While neither myself or the other dentists that I work with have special training in treating patients with special needs, or children, we do whatever we can do to meet their needs,” Franke said. “Even with the sometimes-never-ending problems our patients face, even the smallest success makes my day and makes the practice of dentistry so worthwhile.”

When Karen Franke told her husband that she had nominated him for the 2017 Community Health Hero Award and he’d won, she introduced the surprise timidly, knowing his humble nature.

“You’re either going to hate me, or know how much I love you,” she told him jokingly.

Franke said he had no idea what the award was or that his wife had nominated him, but when he found out, he was thrilled.

“I had no idea either about the award or the fact that I had won, so it was a true surprise,” he said. “As I’m not one to seek out attention or publicity, I suppose I thought about it for a while, but I settled on the fact that she does love me.”