Working through Albany’s bureacratic maze is as bad as getting a root canal.
It happened to Morris Park dentist Dr. Maiya Greene.
After completing her one-year residency, Greene passed the state’s licensing exam, a next-level requirement for her dentistry fellowship at Albert Einstein College of Medicine.
Spent a year working alongside an oral surgery team, operating on the gumlines of those with special needs.
She thought the license would arrive within a few weeks. But those weeks soon turned into two months. The license never came.
Working the phones, she sought answers from the Office of the Professions, a state agency that doles out licenses for varying fields. No help.
“I was genuinely worried that my license could be held up for months, or even longer,” said Greene.
But Greene did not cast blame on the agency she sees as inundated with license applications.
“It’s not a matter of frustration,” said Greene. “It was a matter of being able to see patients.”
Scheduling issues resulted while Greene stood on the sidelines.
She finally took her troubles to Senator Jeff Klein, who saw the logjam as a dental detriment to the Morris Park community.
Finessing through Albany’s administrative red tape, Klein and his staff got a hold of the Secretary of Dentistry at the OOP.
“I wish it were easy for everyday Bronxites to make a phone call and get results,” said Klein. “But sometimes it does take an elected official.”
After several hours of back and forth talks with the office, Greene’s license was found and awarded.
As for the original whereabouts of her paperwork, that remains a mystery, though a spokesman for Klein said they were told it had been misplaced.
With the paperwork nightmare over, Dr. Greene is now taking care of the teeth of the special needs community. And she’s all smiles.
Reach reporter David Cruz at 718-742-3383.
David Cruz can be reach via e-mail at DCruz@cnglocal.com or by phone at (718) 742-3383
