Prisma dentists and staff are participating this week in the first Latin American Global Medicine and Wellness Congress this week in San Jose, Costa Rica. In the picture: Jorge Woodbridge, Minister for Competitiveness and Regulatory Affairs; and First Minister and brother of Oscar Arias, Rodrigio Arias, join Dr. Telma Rubinstein and Tiffany Kofroth, Prisma’s international patient manager.
For more photos and information, please see the Prisma Facebook page, where we now have 573 friends!
The three-day event focuses on attracting business from the region’s principal market, the United States. Twenty countries are part of the event. The Costa Rican Tourism Board estimated 95 percent of medical tourists that come to Costa Rica are from the United States. The congress will offer tours of the country’s medical facilities and place an emphasis on Costa Rica’s eco-friendly image as ideal for treatment and recovery.
We got a note the other day from Ken at NursingSchools.net, a site that has has compiled a list of “the 50 best blogs in the dentalsphere.” And there we are:
http://www.nursingschools.net/blog/2010/04/50-best-blogs-in-the-dentalsphere/
We’re the only dental site in Costa Rica so recognized; and one of only a few international sites. As would be expected, most of the blogs selected are from the United States.
So we are honored.
As is traditional, Prisma Dental will be closed for all of this coming week for Easter. The office will re-open on Monday April 5.
Costa Rica is a Catholic country and its holidays are mostly church-related. Most businesses, including banks, close on official holidays. Buses stop running on Holy Thursday and Good Friday. Banks and offices are closed. And hotels and car rentals are booked solid weeks in advance as everyone seems to head for the beach!
Costa Rica Traditions …
Patients and prospective patients who need to be in touch may leave phone messages or send e-mail, but should not expect responses until next week.
Pure Vida and Happy Easter to all!
Costa Rica is a popular tourist destination for visitors from around the world and has several international airports. Those who are coming to the country for dental work should be sure to look for the best flights to San José’s Juan Santamaría International Airport (airport code SJO).
The Prisma staff is happy to assist you with looking for the best flights, ground transportation and suitable accommodations during your stay.
From North America, Air Canada, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, Frontier, Grupo Taca, Mexicana, Spirit Air, Jet Blue and US Airways all have regular direct flights to Costa Rica.
Prospective patients are advised to shop around for airfares; you can get seasonal bargains and unadvertised specials. Today, for example, using AirFareWatchDog.com, I see roundtrip flights to San Jose from Chicago at $236; from Los Angeles at $249; and from New York at $288, all on Mexicana. No doubt there are some restrictions; but good fares can be found.
Given the relative costs of implants, restorations, crowns and other major work — the trip, of course, tends to be paid for at least several times over by the savings on dental work.
We try very hard to stay away from politics on the Prisma Dental blog but when Costa Rica gets brought up in the context of discussion over U.S. health care, it is hard to ignore. U.S. radio talk show host and conservative icon Rush Limbaugh made news this week by saying that he might choose to travel to Costa Rica for medical treatment if Democratic-backed health legislation becomes U.S. law.
From Business Week / Bloomberg News, March 16:
Limbaugh, whose show is heard on about 600 stations, told his listeners on March 8 that if Democratic-backed health legislation became U.S. law he’d go to Costa Rica. A 2008 American Journal of Public Health study found the Central American nation’s health coverage “excellent,” with life expectancy second only to Canada in the Western Hemisphere. … ‘If doctors here are not permitted to form private-practice little clinics with individuals paying a fee, a retainer, and for services, then I’ll go to Costa Rica to get major medical health care,’ Limbaugh said.
We have no comment on the political controversy, but we appreciate the recognition of the quality of health care in Costa Rica. Mr. Limbaugh is welcome to stop by Prisma Dental for a checkup any time.
