Commander’s Helpline Published April 26, 2007 POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C. -- Q: "This is the third year n a row I've had to wait for my appointment at the dental clinic. I am always told to come 15 minutes early, only to wait." This most recent appointment I had to wait 17 minutes past my appointment time. Last year I showed up for the appointment and they weren't able to see me at all." A: While it is always the intent to see patients for their scheduled medical or dental appointments on time, often schedules are shifted or changed as the result of unexpected emergencies, complicated cases, or support of last minute deployments. Currently, the dental clinic is only manned at 63 percent of its authorized dentists and yet the staff treats and supports the dental healthcare of over 5,000 active duty members from both the Air Force and Army. The dental clinic has a patient advocate on the premises that is specifically trained to address all patient concerns at the time of the incident. Patients seen at the dental clinic are encouraged to take their concerns directly to the patient advocate for immediate resolution and documentation. Quality of care is taken seriously by all medics of the 43rd Medical Group, and we encourage our staff members to be both sensitive and engaged with our patient's concerns. 394-HELP (4357) or email commanders.helpline1@pope.af.mil