Name:  Kalman “Kal” Klass
Resides:  Seattle
Immediate Family:  Wife Michele
Years in Practice:  43
Education:  Undergraduate and dental school at University of Iowa
Practice:

• Private practice two days per week
• Dental injury claims reviewer, Washington State Department of Labor & Industries
• Examiner for VA Veterans Evaluation Services disability claims
• Conducts independent medical examinations

Select Roles in Organized Dentistry:

• Former chair and current member, Seattle/King County Dental Society Peer Review Committee
• Former Chair, Committee on Budget and Finance, Washington State Dental Association
• Former Chair, Concerned Dentists of Washington
• Former Lecturer on Dental Ethics, University of Washington School of Dentistry
• American Association of Public Health Dentists
• Former President, Seattle Alpha Omega Dental Fraternity
• Pierre Fauchard Academy

“We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.” — Winston Churchill

One program that exemplifies Klass’ commitment to service is the Holocaust Survivors Oral Health Program. Created in response to a White House call to action from then-Vice President Joe Biden to find innovative ways to help Holocaust survivors, the program is sponsored by Alpha Omega, a Jewish dental fraternity, and Henry Schein Cares, the philanthropic foundation of the dental supply company.

Klass has served as the program’s local “ambassador” since its launch in 2014. Seattle was one of nine original U.S. and Canadian cities participating, and the home of the first patient ever treated under its auspices. Over the years, more than $112,000 in donated dental care has been provided to nearly 50 patients locally – and more than $4 million in care across North America.

Klass helped recruit a core group of about 20 local dentists, primarily among members of the Alpha Omega fraternity, to participate in the program. It was intended to provide care to address pain-related, emergency conditions, but the group has expanded their efforts to also include routine care, as well as providing some more expensive services such as prosthetics or implants.

The program receives referrals from Jewish Family Service of Seattle; while most of the patients are Jewish, it is open to any survivor and the children of survivors of the Holocaust. It is designed to include an initial diagnostic exam, followed by a referral to a volunteer dentist for treatment. However, sometimes Klass foregoes the referral system entirely and provides patient care during the patient’s initial visit. Patients often struggle to get transportation and can have problems keeping appointments, so sometimes it’s better to provide care when and where you can, he said.

But as important as the care itself is, these patients who survived such horror sometimes place an even greater value on just having a relationship with a dentist, someone they can call on.

“While our primary focus is always emergency care, if a patient asks for regular, preventive care, we tend to provide it,” Klass explained. “But they’re not necessarily even wanting dentistry; they want to have a dentist. Many survivors have deep psychological issues, and just having a dentist they know and can call provides a lot of relief.”

That’s the case with Edith, a 94-year-old patient who, along with her father, experienced the horror of November 1938’s Kristallnacht – the “night of broken glass” – in which Jewish neighborhoods were ransacked, synagogues were looted and many were burned. Soon after, her father, who was later murdered by the Nazis, arranged for her to escape Nazi Germany through the clandestine evacuations known as Kindertransport, which smuggled an estimated 10,000 children – primarily Jewish – to Great Britain. For seven years, she was shuttled through a series of living and school arrangements in Britain, alone and still learning English, until she could join an older sister in the U.S.

When Edith was initially referred to the Holocaust Survivors program for repairs to her chipped teeth, her post-traumatic stress created problems for her in making and keeping appointments. So, Klass went to the assisted living facility where she lived and cared for her there. He still visits her there regularly, ostensibly to deliver dental care, but more importantly to see her and maintain a relationship that matters to them both.

Another program patient, Leonid Melnikov, was born in the Gaysin Ghetto in the Vinnitsa region of Ukraine in November 1943, two years after German troops came to occupy the area. Shortly after his birth, his parents – both of whom had already lost family members to the Nazis – plotted their escape to nearby Romania.

They sought help from a doctor living in the ghetto, a German Jew who had been deported to Ukraine. He removed Leonid’s mother’s teeth with gold crowns, providing them with something they could use to pay the train conductor and bribe the border guards. After crossing into Romania, the family found themselves in another ghetto in Bershad. Leonid’s father was forced into hard labor, while Leonid and his mother lived in a state of deprivation and hardship. With the help of caring neighbors, they all survived until the ghetto was liberated in March 1944.

Leonid first met with Klass to talk about replacing some missing teeth; that “talk” was made possible by Melnikov’s son, who translated the Klass end of the conversation into Russian for his father. Leonid, who is now 81, remains a patient and knows he can return any time for urgent dental needs as well as routine, preventive care. Much like Edith, just knowing that he has a dentist he can rely on is almost as much of a relief for him as getting treatment.

Given the age of the Holocaust survivor population, their numbers are diminishing rapidly. What will become of the program when their target patients are gone? Klass doesn’t see that as an issue.

“Our volunteers also serve other low-income patients. The program infrastructure is in place to continue receiving referrals and we will continue to treat those in need.”

“If you want to lift yourself up, lift up someone else.” — Booker T. Washington

Some of those with the largest needs are thousands of miles from Seattle.

Dental Volunteers for Israel (DVI) operates the only free dental clinic in the entire country of Israel, serving Jerusalem’s poorest children.

“Compare that to what we have here,” Klass said, with a touch of amazement in his voice. “Imagine, one free clinic in the entire country, compared to approximately 15 just in Seattle!”

The clinic, which has been in operation for nearly 50 years, provided more than 11,000 free treatments to 2,600 patients in 2023 alone. While its main focus remains pediatric dentistry, DVI also has recently begun providing care, including dentures, to needy elderly and Holocaust survivors as well.

Klass has had a long-term relationship with DVI, and its U.S. support group, American Friends of Dental Volunteers for Israel (AFDVI). He has served on the AFDVI board of directors and has made three trips, each lasting 1-2 weeks, to volunteer his services in the clinic. His twin sister Kay, also a dentist, first came up with the idea for their first volunteer trip together many years ago.

“One of the greatest things about this clinic is that it receives its referrals from the public school system in Jerusalem,” Klass explained. “The referrals are all based on economic need rather than race or religion, so the patients include Jews, Palestinians, and immigrants, many of whom are from Russia.”

“To know that even one life has breathed easier because of you – this is to have succeeded.” — Ralph Waldo Emerson

Closer to home – in fact, much closer to home – Klass began volunteering in 2006 with Bailey-Boushay House (BBH), which is located not far from his house in Seattle’s Madison Park neighborhood.

BBH was founded in the 1980s as one of the nation’s first hospice facilities for those dying from AIDS/HIV. Over the years, it has been absorbed into the Virginia Mason medical network, and its services have been expanded to also include hospice service for other terminally ill diseases such as ALS and Huntington’s disease, as well as an additional overnight shelter with 50 beds for homeless patients with AIDS/HIV. In addition, there is an outpatient facility providing medicines, food and shelter during the day to another 350 residents dealing with homelessness and/or addiction issues.

Just as BBH programs have expanded over the years, so too have Klass’ volunteer efforts. After going through an intensive training and certification process, he began visiting the facility with his Siberian Husky, Denali, to provide pet therapy to the patients.

According to Stephanie Pietras, a volunteer coordinator for BBH, the pet therapy program requires annual course work and an oral exam to prove that both the owner and their pet are ready to provide therapy. Pet therapy dictates a maximum of two hours of services at a time because it is so emotionally demanding for both the animal and their owner.

“Pet therapy is a way for patients to receive healing touch and loving attention from an animal,” Klass explained. “Free of judgment and providing unconditional support, pet therapy animals are specifically trained to engage with the sick and medically fragile.”

Dr. Klass and Denali were regular pet therapy volunteers, visiting BBH every Tuesday for much of the dog’s life, until Denali’s passing in 2014.

But, true to form, Klass maintained his relationship with BBH, serving in other capacities, including on its board of directors. He also was instrumental in establishing a dental program, helping patients understand their dental health needs and where they might go to receive free or low-cost services.

“Almost all the patients there had serious addiction issues,” Klass recalled. “The vast majority had meth-mouth. When I first got there, I didn’t know what it was. But then I learned to recognize the decay and gum disease typical of meth-mouth, and I got to where I could diagnose it from 10 feet away.”

Much as he has done with the Holocaust Survivors program, he has been known to provide free care in his own office to those patients who have no other access to dental help. Klass said that he finds inspiration to go the extra mile from others working at BBH.

“The nurses, other staff and volunteers at Bailey-Boushay are all so dedicated. It’s an incredibly challenging environment that can take an emotional toll on you. Covid really decimated their volunteer network and it will take some time for that to recover,” he said.

“There could be no definition of a successful life that does not include service to others.” — George H.W. Bush

Not content to see patients just in his office or at another facility, Klass also has taken to the open road.

The SmileMobile, launched years ago with support from WSDA and Delta Dental of Washington, was the state’s first mobile dental clinic. It travels the state providing care to low-income children across Washington. Klass was a volunteer with the program for a number of years, and remembers the experience fondly.

“The SmileMobile was coordinated by a retired prosthodontist. So he spent his career on the other end of the demographic spectrum from the patients we were serving in the SmileMobile. But the guy was just great with kids,” Klass said.

“It was a great experience to volunteer on the SmileMobile. We saw things that you wouldn’t see in your own practice,” he added.

Klass wasn’t the only one that enjoyed those volunteer hours. Dental assistant Jasmine Johnson worked with Klass for more than 20 years and considers that time to be her favorite time in her dental career. And volunteering together on the SmileMobile was high up on the list of reasons why.

“Providing free dental care to kids and teaching them about dental hygiene was probably the most fun we had,” she said. “Kal’s not only a great dentist with a high ethical standard, but is also a strong advocate for our community. I admire how he has always gone out of his way to help others. He makes a positive impact on so many lives.”

The feeling was mutual. Klass said of Ms. Johnson, “in addition to my wife, she supported and encouraged me more than anyone in dentistry, in providing volunteer dental treatment throughout my career.”

“Service to others is the rent you pay for your room here on earth.” — Muhammed Ali

Finally, just to prove that Klass is not a one-trick pony — that it’s not all dentistry all the time with him — he is active in the preservation of the Monte Cristo area of Snohomish County.

Established in 1889, the year Washington became a state, the town of Monte Cristo was founded by two gold prospectors and was an active mining area into the 1920s. It has since been abandoned and has become one of the most popular hiking destinations in the county.

To keep it that way, The Trust for Public Lands purchased the bulk of property in the area, and in turn sold it to the U.S. Forest Service. It can’t be logged or mined and is therefore protected for the public to enjoy. The Forest Service coordinates its land management with local property owners, including Klass.

“I purchased a little piece of property for $250 in 1987,” he said. “Today, that land is worth … about $250. Not exactly the best real estate investment I’ve ever done.”

But Klass sees his return in other ways. He is a past president and current member of the Monte Cristo Preservation Association (MCPA), which was formed to preserve the history and ensure appropriate maintenance of the area. The MCPA organizes work parties, helps maintain the county road into the area, and tends to the trails to enhance the hiking experience. They are just completing their first interpretive site to help visitors understand the area’s history.

“Life’s persistent and most urgent question is, ‘what are you doing for others?’” — Martin Luther King, Jr.

Klass came by his commitment to community naturally. Both of his parents were active volunteers, as are his four siblings, and even though they never told him that he should do the same, he learned by observing the example they set. Now he hopes that other dentists and their employees experience the enjoyment of volunteering.

“With how much busier people seem to be nowadays, the trend is to confine our communication to social media. When we never leave our phones for anything, we are missing out on a tremendous amount of real-life experiences. Getting out to volunteer encourages real life interactions, which are impossible to attain through our phones or on social media,” he said.

“If we want to increase our social skills and improve communication, which is sorely needed right now in this country, we need to go out in person and get involved with other people in the world. This is why it is so important to volunteer in different areas that interest us.”

“The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in giving to others.” — Mahatma Ghandi

Klass realizes that many dentists are already doing just that.

“I feel like I’m preaching to the choir. Some dentists do it in a small way, others do it in a much bigger way, and most do it without any recognition,” he said.

“But it’s important to remember that when you do volunteer work, you gain experiences that you’d never have without volunteering, and that’s a good thing. You learn to do things in dentistry that you’d never do in your regular practice. You’ll meet people you’d never meet otherwise and broaden your horizons beyond what you could imagine. You get so much more in return than you’d ever get staying in your office,” he said.

“Volunteering is a way to improve the world around us – that’s the basic premise. Especially for dentists: Why not try to serve some patients that otherwise wouldn’t receive care?”