Siblings bring family dentistry to Hertel

"North Buffalo is really up and coming right now, we saw that and we wanted to be a part of that," Amer Samad, co-founder of Hertel Family Dentistry.

That wasn't always the case for Amer Samad and his sister, Sabiha. The siblings grew up in Buffalo but left for college and never looked back.

Sabiha became a dentist in New York City. Amer jumped into real estate in New York, Washington D.C. and Toronto.

But after a decade... they're back. 

"I loved Buffalo growing up and I just wanted to give back to my community and offer my dental services here," Sabiha said.

So the pair joined forces and opened Hertel Family Dentistry" at Hertel near Colvin eight months ago.

The Samads are just what the doctor ordered for a region with a doctor shortage.
In 2016 — the Healthcare Association of New York released a survey, which found Buffalo had 60 family medicine physicians per 100,000 patients.The national average is 80 doctors for every one-hundred-thousand.

The doctor shortage numbers are so alarming, the University at Buffalo created a scholarship that awards students with $30,000 for medical school every year if they stay in Western New York.