Braemar Charitable Trust has acknowledged a specialist paediatric dentist for a major milestone – providing more than 50 free surgeries for children in need.
Dr Katie Ayers is a strong supporter of Braemar Group which includes Braemar Hospital and its owner, Braemar Charitable Trust. She provides free surgeries via the trust for those in need, has been a Medical Trustee on the charitable trust board over many years, and on the Braemar Hospital board since 2021.
Katie supports the trust’s Community Surgery Programme under which some eligible children receive free dental surgery. She donates her time to provide surgeries for children who may face a long wait time in the public health system and who require more complex treatment. Her surgeries are performed at Braemar Hospital with some anaesthetists also donating time, and the trust funding supplies, drugs and other consumables, provided at cost by Braemar Hospital.
Via Braemar Charitable Trust, Katie has enabled at least 50 free specialist paediatric dental surgeries since 2016 (when records began). Katie’s milestone was acknowledged with a citation and a certificate during a recent Braemar Group dinner for specialists who are credentialed to work at Braemar Hospital.
Trust Chair Vicky McLennan paid further tribute to Katie’s work. “This is a significant landmark for our Trust. More importantly it is a testament to Katie’s dedication to children’s oral health that she has provided more than 50 free surgeries. There are many youngsters today who have vastly improved dental health thanks to Katie’s attention and the trust’s support.”
Ms McLennan says Katie’s contribution to the wider dental community is vast, and across the years has included serving as a director of the Medical Assurance Society; being on the Executive Board of the New Zealand Dental Association (including as President for the last two of those years); and being granted honorary life membership of the New Zealand Dental Association. Recently Katie has become President of the Australasian Academy of Paediatric Dentistry and she is a member of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Paediatric Dentistry.
Katie has been named a Fellow of the Association of Dentistry International in recognition of her New Zealand and international services to dentistry; has been awarded membership of the Royal Australian College of Dental Surgeons; and holds a Fellowship at the International College of Dentists.
She also has a strong charitable streak, donating time not just to Braemar Charitable Trust, but also over the years to Smiles for the Pacific Charity and the Trinity Koha Dental Clinic among others.
“While we have many generous Braemar specialists who donate their time for the trust’s Community Surgery Programme, we really wanted to celebrate Katie’s special achievement,” Ms McLennan says. “She is a great example of how expertise, passion and an altruistic approach can intersect to help others.”
About 8,000 children are hospitalised every year for specialist dental treatment under general anaesthetic, costing the health system approximately $4000 per surgery. Thanks to donations of time and expertise, and Braemar Hospital providing drugs and other consumables at cost price, Braemar Charitable Trust is able to provide these operations at a fraction of this cost for those who qualify.
Referrals for the free surgery programme can be made by dentists, GPs, nurse practitioners and specialists. To be eligible, the patients must have been declined by, or are unable to access care in a timely way in the public health system, do not health insurance, ACC cover, nor the financial means to pay for private treatment.
Anyone wishing to support Braemar Charitable Trust’s work can donate via a new online donations portal. Donors can pay for a specific surgical procedure as part of the trust’s Community Surgery Programme, or make donations here towards scholarships, research or a general fund.
Braemar Charitable Trust, which owns Braemar Hospital, has a vision to advance healthcare equity and access and improve health outcomes in our community. It has several charitable activities including free surgeries, building capability and capacity in the health sector, and helping fund medical research. To find out more, sign up here for news and updates
ENDS
For further information – not for publication:
Paula Baker MNZM
Manager, Braemar Charitable Trust
027 224 2316
