PEOPLE
behind the SCeneS
Q: What was the mission of your Ebola Awareness
Project?
A:
Henry Schein is committed to “helping health
happen” by engaging in activities through our global
corporate social responsibility program, Henry
Schein Cares. With a focus on wellness, prevention
and treatment; emergency preparedness and relief;
and building capacity in the training of professionals
and the delivery of health care services, we believed
that participating in Ebola virus relief efforts was
consistent with Henry Schein’s mission to expand
access to care for those in need.
In order to make an impact, Henry Schein worked
within a public-private model, leveraging the unique
skills and networks of our partners (government,
NGOs and industry) to assess the need and provide
products to health care workers providing on-site
relief. Together with our valued supplier partners,
we donated $1 million in essential health care sup-
plies and opened the Ebola Relief Fund through the
Henry Schein Cares Foundation; demonstrated the
company’s commitment to the well-being of health
care providers and others assisting in relief efforts;
reinforced our value to key supplier partners; offered
a vehicle for Team Schein Members to engage in relief
efforts; strengthened relationships with important
government organizations; and increased visibility
for Henry Schein’s expertise in convening key stake-
holders in effective public-private partnerships by
identifying mean-
ingful ways for their
engagement in relief
efforts.
We a re wel l -
positioned to help
fll the need for pro-
tective equipment,
particularly with
gloves, masks and
gowns, reinforc-
ing Henry Schein’s
c o m m i t m e n t t o
the well-being of healthcare providers and further
strengthening our brand as a good corporate citizen.
Q: What was the most rewarding part of the proj-
ect, the part you are most proud of?
A:
At Henry Schein, we are very proud of the
opportunity to use our core expertise as the
world’s largest distributor of health care products
to offce-based dentists, veterinarians and physi-
cians to help society when crisis strikes. Working
closely with our NGO partners to assess the list
of products mostly needed, and then pulling this
product together for donation with our valued,
very generous supplier partners is very reward-
ing. I am also very proud of Team Schein for their
generous contributions to our Relief Fund and for
serving as role models in the health care industry.
Q: What was the most surprising fact you learned
during this project?
A:
The enormity of the Ebola crisis was very sur-
prising and alarming. With 10,000 people affected
and nearly 5,000 lost lives, we knew we needed to
move fast to offer assistance in the relief efforts.
Q: What is your key takeaway that you want the
readers to know about the project?
A:
Henry Schein recognizes that it is our respon-
sibility to use our core expertise not only to help
our customers succeed, but also for the good of
society. There is no competition when dealing
with a disaster. We believe it is incumbent upon
private industry to do our part by partnering with
credible organizations providing on-site disaster
relief, governments providing oversight, and busi-
ness partners seeking opportunities to help. We
strongly believe that “Together, We Can Help
Health Happen,” and this is especially critical in
times of disaster.
Q: Why do you do what you do?
A:
From the very start of my career at Henry Schein
25 years ago, it was clear to me that the company
had a unique culture: A culture of helping each
other and a commitment to giving back to society.
As president of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation
and co-founder of Henry Schein Cares nearly 20
years ago, I take pride in how much the program
has evolved; how much my colleagues and industry
partners have accomplished, and how strong Team
Schein’s commitment is. I’ve been very fortunate
to work for a company and a Chairman and CEO
who have a passion for social responsibility and
helping people, which has been a guiding force for
me through the years.
by Stan Goff
Henry Schein Dental
Steve Kess
Ebola Awareness Project
About three years ago, Dr. Allan Deutsch decided it
was time to create ultrasonic tips that were actually
diffcult to break.
While there were plenty of ultrasonic tip options
on the market, all of them were too thin and broke
far too easily, said Dr. Deutsch, the Executive Vice
President for Essential Dental Systems. He knew
the team at EDS could create a stronger, inexpen-
sive option that offered superior cutting abilities—
without the breakage.
“We wanted something that broke far less often
and that was inexpensive to produce and manu-
facture, so we could sell the tips at a lower price
point,” Dr. Deutsch said. “We were able to achieve
both those goals.”
Dr. Deutsch, who is co-founder of the company,
was involved in just about every aspect of product
development, he
said. He spent
t i m e lo ok i n g
up l it e r at u r e
and research,
was involved in
designing the
tips and worked
with the pro -
totype shop to
develop the tips.
T h e t e a m
faced many chal-
lenges along the way, he said, but they were able to
work together to overcome them all.
What were some of those challenges? They had
to fnd a way to create long-lasting tips that also
offer optimal cutting abilities, no matter which of
the many ultrasonic units a dentist might use.
“It was just a lot of trial and error,” Dr. Deutsch
said. “We tried this design and tried that design.
We tried different metals. It was the old Thomas
Edison approach where you try 10,000 variations
and one finally works. That’s why it took three
years. It was just a lot of hard work.”
And those efforts paid off. Since the tips were
released in February, they’ve received a lot of posi-
tive feedback. Dentists seem to love the tips, Dr.
Deutsch said, and are happy to fnally have ultra-
sonic tips that not only cut well, but that also are
pretty diffcult to break.
As one of the co-founders, Dr. Deutsch has been
with the company 30 years, and in that time has
been behind several product launches. He loves
being part of the R&D process, and creating prod-
ucts that help make dentists more effcient, while
also saving them money.
“It’s a nice creative outlet for me,” he said. “I like
the science aspect of it, the research. It lets me do
a lot of different things and wear a lot of different
hats. While dentistry is never boring, working on
product development offers a nice change of pace.”
by Renee Knight
December 2014
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PRODUCTS
REPORT.COM
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Photos courtesy of Henry Schein (top) and Essential Dental Systems (bottom).
Essential Dental Systems
Dr. Allan Deutsch
Ultrasonic Tips
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