Dr. Jason Follett

Dr. Jason Follett, an Eastern Oregon native, has taken over as owner and practicing dentist at Wallowa Valley Dental Care clinic.

Dr. Follett was finalizing arrangements to purchase the Enterprise clinic when former owner Dr. Bruce Cummings was killed in a plane crash in Umatilla County Nov. 14. Cummings, who established the dental clinic in 2001, was planning a move to the Walla Walla, Wash., area where his wife, Marjorie, was already living with their two school-aged children.

In a letter to introduce the new owner to clinic patients, Marjorie Cummings said her husband had interviewed a number of other dentists interested in taking over the practice. But it wasnt until he met Dr. Follett that he felt the right person to take good care of his patients and staff.

Dr. Follett, who grew up and attended school in Hermiston, has been working for Willamette Dental in Kennewick. He is familiar with Wallowa County, he said, since he has often hunted and fished here.

We love it here, he said. Everyone has been very welcoming.

The dentist said he was  visiting family members in Eastern Oregon during hunting season when he saw the for-sale listing for the Wallowa County dental practice. At Willamette Dental, a firm that employs 250 dentists at clinics around the Northwest, Follett said he was an associate and the idea of having his own clinic, especially one in this area, was appealing. 

A 1996 graduate of Hermiston High School, Follett attended Eastern Oregon University, where he graduated with honors in biology. He was involved in sports, and was named an All-American at EOU in track and field. He attended Case Western Reserve University School of Dental Medicine in Cleveland, graduating with a Doctor of Dental Medicine degree in 2009.

Dr. Follett met his wife, Sarah, in Hermiston while she was earning her masters degree in plant pathology and studying at the Oregon State University Experiment Station. They have two children, Daniel and Jocelyn, and are expecting their third this spring.

Wallowa Countys newest dentist said he plans to retain the staff of five, including two dental hygienists, that had worked for Dr. Cummings.