Lancaster Cleft Palate: Still all Smiles
After 70 Years
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Dr. H.K. Cooper (center) pioneered the multidisciplinary team
approach for care and treatment of cleft palate when he opened
the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic in May 1938. |
When H.K. Cooper opened up his orthodontics practice above McElroy’s Pharmacy in Lititz in 1921, it was not his intention to become a pioneer in cleft lip and palate treatment.
Dr. Cooper was the only dental specialist between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh and noticed he was treating a large number of patients suffering from cleft lip and palates, or the results of an ineffective surgical treatment.
“At the time, cleft lip and palate treatment was very haphazard,” says Ross “Rusty” Long, DMD, PhD, executive director of the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic and Dr. Cooper’s grandson. “He realized that patients could not be treated by one individual; they had to be treated by a multi-disciplinary team of doctors and caregivers.”
It was a concept well ahead of its time, and on May 5, 1938, his vision led to the creation of the world’s first clinic dedicated to the team treatment of patients with cleft lip and palate, and other facial birth defects, located on Lime Street in downtown Lancaster.
“The team concept Dr. Cooper created is still the accepted standard of care for children with cleft palate,” Dr. Long says.
Seventy years later, the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic continues to bring smiles to the faces of children born with cleft lip and palate, and other facial malformations, using the same innovative approach pioneered by Dr. Cooper, along with the latest advances in treatment techniques.
Dr. Cooper’s clinic attracted interest from around the world, and a dormitory allowed children to live at the clinic for a year during their treatment and therapy. His team included specialists in speech, hearing, surgery and dentistry, all working together to provide consistent care to each patient.
The clinic today
To help further its mission of treatment, teaching and research, the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic and Lancaster General Hospital entered into a partnership that began in 1996 as a way for the hospital to provide administrative assistance that allows the clinic to focus on patient care and research. The hospital also helped set up an endowment fund and campaign to ensure that the clinic could continue to provide care to patients regardless of their ability to pay.
“Our affiliation with Lancaster General has been critical in our growth, and the support we have received has been fantastic,” Dr. Long says.
Today there are more than 200 cleft palate clinics in the United States that treat the most common birth defect in the United States. The Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic is still recognized as a premiere facility for treatment and research.
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Kara and Kristin Huenick were first treated at
the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic when they
were three years old. Unable to communicate
hen, today they are up-to-speed with their
kindergarten classmates. |
Kara and Kristin
For Lynne and Randy Huenink of Gap, knowing that the renowned clinic was close to their home was instrumental in their decision to adopt twin girls born with cleft lip and palate.
Their daughters Kara and Kristin were 3 years old and in foster care when they adopted them in China. At the time they had open cleft palates and their speech was severely impaired.
Six months later, the girls had their first surgery to repair and close their palates. The girls also received extensive dental care, and speech therapy followed immediately after surgery.
Soon the girls’ language skills started coming together. Speech therapists at the Cleft Palate Clinic were able to help them break habits, like using their tongue to close their palate when they spoke. Gradually, they began to speak more clearly and confidently.
Today the girls attend kindergarten and participate in activities children their age enjoy. “They love books, and they love to learn,” Lynne says. “They are up-to-speed for their age group. I don’t see them as having special needs of any sort.”
Treatment usually continues until a child is 18 years old. After surgical treatment, that usually means participation in “team days” on Tuesdays, when the specialists are all at the 223 N. Lime St. clinic at the same time, assessing patients on a rotating basis. Patients typically require about one or two evaluation visits a year at the clinic.
The clinic currently serves about 5,000 patients, and adds between 50-100 new patients every year.
For more information about the Lancaster Cleft Palate Clinic, call 394-3793.
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