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RONALD MCDONALD HOUSE CHARITIES GRANT EXPANDS SAA REACHMay 17, 2007 CHICAGO—Ronald McDonald House Charities' (RMHC) Board of Directors voted in April to award $200,000 to OHA's Smiles Across America (SAA) program to launch three new sites. The grant brings the foundation's funding of the program to $600,000 in three years. “Oral health is a top priority for Ronald McDonald House Charities,” said Robert Klaus, president and CEO of OHA. “This grant challenges us to redouble our efforts in supporting systems that protect the health and well being of our nation's children. We are honored by their support.” SAA improves community oral health infrastructure, primarily related to school services. SAA exemplifies the “think globally and act locally” philosophy, by reaching out to care providers, coalitions, families, teachers, school administrators, city, state, and federal officials—those who have the highest incentives and the most at stake in making sure that school children are free of disease and able to learn, play, and thrive. The program approaches oral disease as a local issue, one that is best solved by communities. In 2006, SAA provided $1.1 million in funding for preventive care across the country, and earned 31 million media impressions. Updates from four of our seven SAA sites follow: Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties, CA With over 30 program partners including Direct Relief International, and the Santa Barbara/Ventura County Dental Health Foundation, SAA helped launch an Adopt-a-School program, a care model unique to the region that has local dentists adopting schools with low-income populations. To date, fifteen dentists have adopted schools, and are providing screenings, preventive care, and restorative care. Santa Barbara County has the largest percentage of uninsured children in California . SAA funding in Santa Barbara is leveraged with the region's First 5 tobacco settlement funding, and a grant from the Orfalea Foundation for restorative care. New efforts underway include an expansion of school-based education, and SAA-funded train-the-trainer sessions took place throughout Children's Dental Health Month with Family Advocates, nurses, and dental hygienists. “The partnership between Smiles Across America and the Santa Barbara County Oral Health Collaborative's Adopt-a-School Program has made it possible for local dentists to provide free critically needed preventive services such as sealants, cleanings and fluoride varnish to uninsured, low-income children with emergency dental needs” said Beth Pitton, Director of Corporate and Foundation Relations, Direct Relief International. “For many children, this partnership offers children their first experience at the dentist. Smiles Across America is part of a comprehensive oral health initiative, including restorative care, oral health education, and the training of community volunteers and healthcare workers.” Maine SAA funds affect the Northern, Central, and Southern areas of Maine , a large and overwhelmingly rural state with shortages of dental care providers. SAA helps the Portland Department of Public Health reach a new population of middle schoolers, assists the Aroostook County Action Program's Oral Health Education Program in remaining active in all 34 elementary schools, and expanded Washington County Children's Program to eleven new schools. SAA is partnering with Medical Care Development (MCD), a health planning, management research and training organization, on “mini-grant” opportunities to small, rural school systems for infrastructure development, and advocacy efforts through Maine 's “Watch Your Mouth” Campaign. The first grantees are Swans Island and Saving Smiles, a group of dental professionals from around the state helping children learn about oral health through education in schools and direct dental care. "We're delighted to have support through Smiles Across America to assure that more Maine children have access to dental sealants," said Judy Feinstein, MSPH, Director of the Maine Oral Health Program. "It's also gratifying to know that we're part of this larger, national initiative to improve the oral health of the next generation." The Maine program is supported with funds from Northeast Delta Dental, and collaborates with the Department of Health and Human Services Oral Health Program. Minnesota Activities in MN focus on coalition development to help direct and sustain the SAA program, and supporting oral health services offered through Children's Dental Services (CDS). CDS is a local provider that merged, in the 1990s, with the Women's and Children's Dental Program of the Minnesota Department of Public Health. CDS has one main clinic and 17 school and Headstart-based dental clinics throughout the Twin Cities. The Smiles Across Minnesota coalition includes Minnesota Delta Dental, Greater Twin Cities United Way, 3M ESPE, Patterson Dental, University Bank, and others are actively developing funding streams (over $85,000 in pledges so far in 2007), identifying need, eliminating barriers to care and education, and conducting media, stakeholder, and consumer outreach. "The Smiles Across Minnesota (SAM) Coalition has successfully engaged the participation of over 50 partner organizations and is providing care in over 200 schools in Minnesota ,” said Sarah Wovcha, JD, MPH, Executive Director of CDS. “Since the inception of the program more than 4,000 low-income and uninsured children have received preventive care, oral health education and restorative care referrals from SAM partner Children's Dental Services. SAM is currently working to spread its model throughout Minnesota , with discussions for expansion underway in the Duluth and Rochester communities. Ongoing local support has been generously pledged by Delta Dental of Minnesota and the Greater Twin Cities United Way." New York City New York University College of Dentistry (NYUCD), in partnership with OHA, launched SAA on October 31, 2006, at PS 130 in lower Manhattan . The program's mission is to bring essential oral health services to New York children who would not otherwise have access to care. At the launch of the NYC SAA initiative, 24 children received over 80 tooth sealants. “Tooth decay is the most common chronic disease of children in this country,” said Dr. Richard Vogel, interim dean of the NYU College of Dentistry, “and as with most chronic infectious diseases, the poor are disproportionably affected. We are proud to partner with Oral Health America to fight untreated oral disease across the country. We are also very grateful to our program sponsors, Ronald McDonald House Charities, Patterson Foundation, and Trident and its parent company Cadbury Adams USA LLC, for their generous support, and to Pulpdent, for donating sealants.” In New York City , where only 12 percent of children are reported to have sealants compared to 30 percent upstate, the need is especially critical. “It is our goal to provide sealants for over 700 children, over 2,800 sealants, through this program throughout the six schools we adopt this year,” said Dr. Amir Moursi, chair of the Department of Pediatric Dentistry at NYUCD. “We intend this to be a long-standing commitment.” Mr. Luis Reyes, Health Policy Director for the Office of Councilmember Alan J. Gerson, noted, “Prevention is much better than treatment and I would hope that this sealant program could be expanded to other schools where we have a high proportion of uninsured children who can benefit from the SAA program.” Speaking on behalf of the NYC Department of Health & Mental Hygiene, Assistant Commissioner Joyce Weinstein said, “We champion greatly this type of public and private collaboration between New York University College of Dentistry and Oral Health America and the private sponsors, which will allow the City of New York to maximize our resources and provide dental services to the greatest number of underserved children. We look forward to working with all of you to design innovative approaches and interventions that will have the greatest benefit and maximize the impact on children's health in New York City .”
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