NACCHO Announces Awards to Support Fluoridation in Local Communities

In January 2017, National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO), in partnership with the CDC, announced the project “Building Capacity for Oral Health: Fluoridation Equipment in Local Communities,” designed to support communities to either replace aging water fluoridation equipment or install new equipment for CWF. This one-time funding opportunity also helped to identify the need for assistance to support core infrastructure and inform future opportunities for similar projects.

While these community water systems work to diligently maintain their equipment, aging equipment poses a challenge after many years of use, particularly for small systems where resources are scarce. NACCHO received 27 grant applications from 13 states. A total of $125,000 was awarded to the following six grantees:

  • Bowling Green Municipal Utilities, KY (pop. 125,000)
  • City of Fircrest, WA (pop. 6,500)
  • City of Kannapolis, NC (pop. 53,100)
  • Jefferson Parish Water Department East Bank, LA (pop. 243,782)
  • Versailles Municipal Utility, KY (pop. 6,200)
  • West Virginia Oral Health Coalition, WV (pop. 1,634)

Children’s Dental Health Day

Children's Dental Health Day

 

It’s time for the Pierce County Dental Society’s 26th Annual Children’s Dental Health Day!

The event is on Saturday, February 25th from 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the South Hill Mall in Puyallup.

There are tons of Free Activities for Kids!

  • Dental Goodie Bags
  • Face Painting and Steve the Cartoon Guy
  • Dental Screenings and Referrals for Care
  • Flouride Varnish Applications
  • Sports Mouthguards
  • Lives demos by “Chompy the Carrot”!
  • Table Clinics with Dental Health Education

Special Appearances from Super Tooth and the Tooth Fairy!!!

Event sponsored by the Pierce County Dental Society, Pierce County Dental Foundation and the Washington Dental Service Foundation

Children’s Dental Health Day Flyer

Do you know a senior or veteran needing dental care, but who doesn’t have insurance? Let them know about our Free Senior & Veteran Dental clinic! Registration is now open, call (253) 272-1101 to sign up for service. Participant must be a Pierce County Resident 55 years of age or older or a veteran of any age. Participant must not have dental insurance, Medicaid/Apple Health. participant must meet income guidelines and provide complete medical history.

Getting dental care can be difficult, but we’re here to help!

Dental Care Day

Dental Care Day

It’s time for the Pierce County Dental Society’s 27th Annual Children’s Dental Health Day! 

The event is on Saturday, February 24th at 10:30 AM to 2:30 PM at the South Hill Mall in Puyallup.

There are tons of Free Activities for Kids!

  • Dental Goodie Bags
  • Face Painting
  • Dental Screenings for Anyone in the Family
  • Free and Low-cost referrals for those who qualify
  • Flouride Varnish Applications
  • Sports Mouthguards
  • Lives demos by “Chompy the Carrot”!
  • Table Clinics with Dental Health Education

Special Appearances from the Wisdom Tooth and the Tooth Fairy!!!

Event sponsored by the Pierce County Dental Society, Pierce County Dental Foundation and the Washington Dental Service Foundation

Baby Teeth Matter

The following information has been provided by a community partner, Denise Goudelock, RDH, BS, MA from the Puyallup Tribal Health Authority Dental Clinic.  The Puyallup Tribe’s dental clinic is part of a collaborative project called Baby Teeth Matter to address the oral health of American Indian children ages 0-5.  Baby Teeth Matter is a collaborative project between the Northwest Tribal Dental Support Center and the Washington Dental Service Foundation. Seven tribal dental programs in the Pacific Northwest volunteered to participate in this project. The project included three face to face meetings/trainings, noon webinars, quarterly data collection, and ongoing technical assistance.

 

Objectives

  • Increase the number of 0-5 year olds who receive dental access, with an emphasis on 0-2 year olds.
  • Increase the number of 0-5 year olds who receive comprehensive dental care at their IHS/Tribal dental program. (Reduce referrals to private pediatric dentists)

 

Promising Practices

  • Protocols :  screening/exams, fluoride varnish, sealants on primary molars, minimally invasive dentistry, motivational interviewing, and frequent recall.
  • Tribal Policies: Include a dental visit as part of a well-child visit, scheduling dental as the first stop in the appointment for the family.
  • Real Open Access: Babies can be seen whenever the dental clinic is open without scheduling an appointment.
  • Case Management: Tracking all 1-2 year olds to schedule dental appointments
  • School Visits: Coordinated with Tribal FACE, early preschool program
  • Day care visits: Coordinated with Tribal Day Care Center

project-homeless-connect-flyer_tacoma-armory-2016-10-26

According to Sound Outreach Services, “On any given night in Pierce County 2000 people experience homelessness. This number includes babies, children, teens, and adults. They are victims of domestic violence, people with disabilities, veterans, and senior citizens…Project Homeless Connect provides a starting place on the journey back to safety, stability, health, and hope. Project Homeless Connect reduces the duration of homelessness by providing services that address the basic needs; basic medical and dental care, access to education, employment and benefits systems, chemical dependency assessments, flu shots, haircuts, and much more – all under one roof!”

Please share news of this upcoming 10/26/16 event. To volunteer in the Dental Services area, contact pcds@pcdentists.org. Attendees interested in the dental services are encouraged to arrive early.

Event will be held once again at the Tacoma Armory in downtown Tacoma.

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