(Roseburg, OR) The Mercy Foundation’s Healthy Kids Outreach Program (HKOP) was recently awarded a generous grant of $150,000 from The Ford Family Foundation in support of continued dental hygiene and education for students in Douglas County. Grant objectives include reducing the number of youth who require additional treatment and providing an additional 5% of students with oral health education and services.
“This funding will allow the Healthy Kids Outreach staff to increase the number of youth we serve through onsite dental clinics twice a year at schools throughout Douglas County, ultimately helping reduce the overall number of dental carries,” states Mercy Foundation president Lisa Platt. “In addition, we will be working with the Douglas County Oral Health Coalition to increase engagement with families with children under five to help them develop good oral health habits early.”
HKOP was established by Mercy Foundation to help improve the health and wellbeing of children throughout Douglas County. One program focuses on improving dental health by providing dental assessments and preventative treatments, dental hygiene education and connections to care at schools throughout the county.
School site clinics are staffed by hygienists, and provide full screenings, including fluoride varnish and sealants to untreated, erupted molars. Each student receives an oral hygiene kit that includes toothbrushes, tooth paste, floss, tooth timers, and a report card. If a child has an urgent dental need, the foundation helps their family get connected for an appointment with one of the 13 local participating dentists.
The HKOP dental team also focuses on helping students understand the “how” and “why” of dental care through an interactive Dental Learning Lab, where children engage in age-appropriate, hands-on activities. The program teaches a variety of hygiene skills and education about unhealthy behaviors that not only impact good dental care, but also affect overall nutrition and physical health. The foundation’s Learning Labs provide a virtual dental visit where children can ask questions, so they have a better understanding of what to expect when they have their teeth screened. The lab interactions help to alleviate the fear and stress of seeing a dental provider.
“By being able to consistently provide dental health services and education to kids while at school, we are helping to ensure they can have a lifetime of excellent oral health,” says Trina Gwaltney, program manager for HKOP. “This grant funding is helping us continue to do this important work and achieve our goal of helping any child in our county that is identified with an urgent or immediate dental need receive treatment and connection to a permanent dental care home.”
For additional information, please call Mercy Foundation at 541-677-4818.
