IRVING — The Seneca Nation Health System will be hosting a community event on Tuesday, Oct. 22, for high school aged youth and parents. Dr. Rickert will be speaking to youth about her career and encouraging their application to health profession careers. The speech and dinner will be held at the Cattaraugus Community Center, 12767 Route 438, Irving at 5-7 p.m.

A unique pathfinder, Dr. Jessica A. Rickert, DDS inspires as she shares her personal journey becoming the first female American Indian dentist and improving the future for all humankind through the accurate understanding of American Indian history. She will discuss her personal history as a member of the Pottawatomi Nation.

Dr. Joseph Salamon, DDS is the Dental Services Director of the Seneca Nation Health System and played a key role in bringing Dr. Rickert to the area. He states that there is a great need for more Native Americans in health care professions, especially dentists. He hopes that this event sparks an interest in youth to follow the path into the health field.

For more information about Cultural Competency in Dentistry please visit the podcast: https://youtu.be/87-XTh5VfqE

The Seneca Nation Health System, as the Seneca Nation Health Department, began serving the Seneca community April 1, 1976 providing health care and a variety of dental services through two health centers — the Lionel R. John Health Center on the Allegany Territory and the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation Health Center on the Cattaraugus Territory — and Community Health and Wellness Center. The SNHS serves as a role model in the health care field for Native American tribes and is dedicated to providing the best quality health services available to all members of the Seneca Nation and Native Americans eligible for services.