oha fall 2011 newsletter
DESCRIPTION
Oral Health America's Fall 2011 NewsletterTRANSCRIPT
Smiles Across America Welcomes New Grantees
Smiles Across America® (SAA)
launched partnerships with four
new school-based and school-linked
dental care programs this fall: CHS
Healthcare in Collier County, FL, Oral
Health Across the Commonwealth
in Springfield, MA, Community
Health Center of Southeast Kansas in
Pittsburg, KS, and Smiles Across Pinal
County in Mesa, AZ.
The CHS Healthcare sealant program is
affiliated with the University of Florida College
of Dentistry and will serve children at five
elementary schools in the Collier County School
District. The program is also supported by the
Ronald McDonald Care Mobile and received a
matching grant from the Walmart Foundation.
Oral Health Across the Commonwealth
provides oral disease prevention services to
children in the Greater Springfield, MA, area
and has a collaborative relationship with
Tufts University School of Dental Medicine.
With the SAA grant, the program will serve
approximately 1,000 additional elementary
school students this year who might not
otherwise have access to dental care. The
program will hire a multilingual oral health
advocate from the community who will
connect with parents outside the school setting
(church groups, community events) to help
them understand the importance of oral health
and the benefits of the school-based services.
The Community Health Center of Southeast
Kansas began its relationship with OHA as
a Smiles Across America Product Donation
Partner, and has now been selected as an SAA
grantee. The Community Health Center will be
expanding its preventive services to schools in
Crawford and Cherokee Counties. Prior to the
SAA funding, the program was at capacity but
with the additional SAA dollars, they are able to
serve more children.
Smiles Across Pinal County, a program affiliated
with A.T. Still University’s Arizona School of
Dentistry and Oral Health will, for the first
time, provide preventive care to children in the
Apache Junction Unified School District. Oral
Health America is proud to help fund the start-
up of this initiative.
Thank you to Trident, 3M ESPE, Ivoclar Vivadent,
Patterson Foundation, Plackers and Pulpdent for
their support of SAA and for helping Oral Health
America continue to “give back.”
oral health americaBriNgiNg healthY moUthS to liFe
fall 201 1
oralhealthamerica.org
OHA’s Wisdom Tooth Project® (WTP) improves the oral health of vulnerable older adults by targeting “caring advisors”: spouses, children, neighbors, and other individuals who play a vital role
in connecting older adults to medical and dental care.
Thanks to a 2011 grant from the DentaQuest Foundation, we have:
• Developedcommunicationstools,includingamonthlye-newsletter,to
keep our stakeholders informed of the project’s progress while soliciting
new ideas and feedback
• Initiatedplanningforamultidisciplinaryeducationalsymposiumin
collaboration with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Center for
Health Policy at Meharry Medical College in Spring 2012
• Developedacollaborativemodelforanonlineportalthatwillconnect
communities with educational and access resources at the national
and local levels
• Ledanonlinefocusgroupof23“caringadvisors”inFlorida,wherewegainedanunderstandingofhow“advisors”currentlyseek
oral health information, how they communicate about oral health, and what kinds of content they’d like covered in an online portal
What’s on the horizon? We are building partnerships with national associations and organizations and beginning to pilot regional
strategiesaswecontinueexploringpossibilitiesforouronlineportal.LookforourcommunicationsinitiativestoeducateAmericans
on the importance of oral health throughout the journey of life. We hope you’ll join us along the way.
honoring chilDren’s Dental health month
target: olDer aDults
OHA and the American Dental Association (ADA)
honored four organizations with the Samuel D. Harris
Award during the ADA’s 152nd Annual Session. The Samuel D. Harris award recognizes programs that demonstrate
the advancement of dentistry for children through efforts that provide
oral health benefits to the public and the profession during February’s
National Children’s Dental Health Month. Grants were awarded based on
creativity, originality and opportunity for replication in other communities.
Congratulations to this year’s honorees:
• CentralJerseyFamilyHealthConsortiumofNorthBrunswick,NJ,forits“Sugar-LessDaytoPreventToothDecay”program
• LouisvilleDentalSocietyinKentuckyforitsSmileKentucky!program
• MaricopaCountyOralHealthLeaders,Advocates,&Resources(MOLAR)ofGlendale,AZ,foritsexpansionoftheNationalChildren’s
DentalHealthMonthprogramintheBoysandGirlsClubsofMetropolitanPhoenix
• SWLACenterforHealthServicesofLakeCharles,LA,foritsOralHealthArtProject
look for the next chilDren’s Dental health month grant rfP in may 2012
Oral Health America kicked off its Fall for Smiles® campaign this September with the release of a public
opinion survey that found that one-third of Americans have cut back on regular dental visits within the
past year. The survey, sponsored by Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait® and Plackers and conducted by Harris Interactive®, also found that a
greater number (47 percent) of large households and those with young children cut back on visits to the dentist. As part of the campaign,
OHA and the Dental Trade Alliance hosted an event on Capitol Hill on September 21. Nearly 100 supporters attended the event to confront
theimpactoforalhealthdisparitiesonournation’shealthandwell-being.U.S.SenatorBenCardin(D-MD)wasrecognizedforhis
leadership in bringing about policy changes that are helping to reduce disparities and increase children’s access to dental care in Maryland
and throughout the country.
Making a tribute gift to OHA is a great way to honor someone important, celebrate a noteworthy accomplishment or team achievement. Whether you want
to give a gift for someone’s birthday,
honor a promotion, or give in memory of
longtimeOHAsupporterBernieBeazley,
making a tribute gift is as simple as going
to oralhealthamerica.org. While you’re
there,checkoutournewTributeBrochure
and read the stories of supporters who
have made tribute gifts in the past.
honor someone sPecial with a
tribute gift
fall for smiles camPaign confronts oral health DisParities on caPitol hill
With the older adult population in this country rapidly increasing—approximately 10,000 Americans will reach
retirement age every day for the next 19 years—addressing the oral health
needs of older adults is more important than ever. OHA created the Wisdom
Tooth Project® to connect, educate, and advocate for the oral health of all
older Americans, especially those most vulnerable. Making a gift to OHA
helps support the Wisdom Tooth Project and other important programs that
bring oral health care and education to Americans of all ages.
through the enD of the year,
your gift can make an even bigger imPact.
Now through Dec. 31, Ivoclar Vivadent will donate 50 cents for every dollar donated to OHA up to $100,000. Take advantage
of this unique opportunity to make your donation go even further.
Visit OHA’s website at www.oralhealthamerica.org to
watch our Wisdom Tooth Project video and to make your gift. For more
information contact [email protected].
Ivoclar Matches Your GIft
Oral Health America is a registered 501 (c) 3 nonprofit organization.
Your gift is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law.
donate today at
www.oralhealthamerica.org
410 North Michigan Ave. Ste. 352Chicago, Illinois 60611-4253
bringing healthy mouths to life fall newsletter www.oralhealthamerica.org
NONPROFIT U.S. POSTAGE
PAID CHICAGO, IL
PERMIT NO. 7228
oral health america Smile4health
Dear frienDs,
oha makes a difference by funding programs such as oral
health across the commonwealth in Springfield, ma, and a
new school-based program in collier county, Fl.
our support is not just about oha dollars. we are intent on
creating new opportunities for support both nationally and
locally. we are leveraging resources and encouraging our
partners to use oha’s funding to expand services through
effective and efficient collaborations. we are often humbled
by the creativity and dedication of the communities we
support. they strengthen our commitment to ask, and ask
again, for your support!
President and CEO
With gratitude for your gifts,
At OHA, “giving back” is important. The support that we provide to others comes from funds that we raise each year – dollars that go back into vulnerable communities throughout the U.S.
Visit WWW.oralhealthamerica.org
anD Donate toDay
,