New Jersey
NJDHA NEWS AND ARTICLES |
North Brunswick, NJ , December 5, 2011 – The nationally recognized annual program, Give Kids a Smile! National Dental Access Day, will celebrate 10 years in New Jersey with a visit from its national chair, the president of the American Dental Association (ADA) and a public service announcement by a prominent daytime TV drama actress. On Friday, February 3, 2012, Steve Kess, vice president of Henry Schein and national chair of Give Kids a Smile! and ADA President Dr. William R. Calnon will be visiting UMDNJ-New Jersey Dental School in Newark and Bergen Community College’s Dental Hygiene Program in Paramus after ringing the opening bell of the NASDAQ markets in New York. Daytime television star Julia Barr (Brooke English of “All My Children”) will produce a public service announcement, underwritten by the Delta Dental Foundation, spreading the word about the New Jersey program. Julia’s husband is an oral surgeon in Dayton, NJ. In all, more than 1,200 volunteer dental professionals at nearly 100 dental locations in New Jersey will treat low-income and uninsured children ages 12 and under at no charge. Services will include exams, fillings, extractions, fluoride and sealant treatments and basic oral health education. CLICK HERE for list of participating locations in New Jersey. Additionally, a fund put together by NJDA members, is in place to help public schools with tight budgets pay for buses to transport children to a Give Kids a Smile! location. Children, mostly identified by school nurses in public elementary and charter schools and Head Start programs, have had access to this program since 2003. More than 25,000 children have come through the program receiving nearly $4.5 million in free dental care. The program is managed by the NJDA locally, and nationally by the American Dental Association, Henry Schein, Inc. and Colgate. Locally, Delta Dental of New Jersey is a key partner and sponsor. Information on the program can be obtained in both English and Spanish at www.njda.org/gkas. Nearly 4,000 children came through the program in 2011 at 109 locations in New Jersey, which is the second largest program in the nation. Expected growth in appointments this year will be due to the high unemployment rate in New Jersey, the explosive growth of children living in poverty and more families opting to forgo dental insurance and treatment in order to help pay for other essential living expenses. “Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in America and it is 100% preventable.” says Dr. Cavan Brunsden, statewide chair of Give Kids a Smile! and a participating pediatric dentist in Old Bridge. “The more we keep pushing this message out to the public and those who can help us reach this goal, the faster we can put our children on the road to becoming cavity free.” Access to Care – Ortho for Low-Income Children For patient-application information, go to www.smileschangelives.org/apply. Financial guidelines are at www.smileschangelives.org/qualify. For a list of our current providers visit: www.smileschangelives.org/orthos. Even if you don't see an orthodontist in your town/area, please still refer children to the program. If you wish to recommend an orthodontist to SCL, contact Andrea Umbreit Andrea@smileschangelives.org who will contact that orthodontist about enrollment as a SCL-provider. Community Service: Anti-tobacco NJDHA Legislative Action Community Service: Scalers for Soldiers Lobbyist Works for Your Profession Contact with any NJDHA leader can be made through the Executive Director in NJDHA Central Office NJDHA Central Office |