ROSEBURG, Ore. (KMTR) -- Two Roseburg non-profits with a big focus on dental care for underserved and at-risk children have new help in the fight against tooth decay.
The Oregon Community Foundation gave over $200,000 in grant money to both the Mercy Foundation and the Umpqua Community Health Center on Tuesday, September 14th, 2010.
The Mercy Foundation is receiving $113,872 of the grant money for its Healthy Kids Outreach program. The money will allow it to increase its oral health education and screening program into Days Creek, Riddle, Winston, Dillard, Camas Valley, Sutherlin, Oakland and South Umpqua school districts.
The money will also allow the Mercy Foundation to offer free dental assessments, fluoride varnish and sealants in mobile dental clinics through Medical Teams International. The program expects to serve 3,440 kids from ages 3 to 12 in the next year. It will also hire a part-time liaison to coordinate children’s families with free dental and health care.
“Some of our communities have never had a dental or medical provider in our community ever, so they have no orientation, they don’t always understand that they have a right to health care. So part of what we do is help teach families, yes, you do, you have a right to this health care, your children do, and let’s show you how to make that happen,” says Pam Frank, Program Coordinator for the Healthy Kids Outreach initiative.
The other grant recipient, Umpqua Community Health Center will provide similar services, starting a brand new school-based prevention program in North Douglas County. It will primarily serve the communities of Reedsport, Elkton, Yoncalla and Drain. UCHC says it will serve about 1,500 kids between the ages of 6 and 12 years old in the next year.
With the grant money, UCHC says will also help about 1,000 additional children living in low-income housing.
Brenda Lewis is the Development Coordinator with UCHC. Lewis says more families have fallen on hard times, making it harder to travel for dental care even if they have insurance.
“Being able to do it at the school, prevent a parent from losing work and or having to expend a 40 dollar tank of gas can be the difference between a kid getting fillings or the preventative treatment that they need,” says Lewis.
