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PCOHC welcomes new officers in 2015

The Pierce County Oral Health Coalition (“PCOHC”) is pleased to announce the following 2015 officer team, elected at the November general coalition meeting:

  • Co-Chairs: Patty Reno and Teri Amundsen, Bates Technical College Dental Assisting School
  • Chair-Elect: Tamara Bout, SeaMar Puyallup Children’s Dental Clinic
  • Treasurer: Cheryl Jenkins, Pierce County Dental Society
  • Secretary: Camile Mason, SeaMar Tacoma Dental Clinic
  • Communications Liaison: Abbe Salk, Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children

PCOHC officers, along with coalition members look forward to a year of oral health collaboration, education and advocacy in Pierce County.

Coalition meets September 10, 2014 at Community Health Care Hilltop Regional Health Center

The Pierce County Oral Health Coalition (PCOHC) is pleased to announce that its monthly September meeting will be hosted by Community Health Care (CHC) and held at their Hilltop Regional Health Center. The event will include a presentation on their Dental Residency Program within a Community Health Care Setting, and a tour of CHC’s new Hilltop facility.

InvitationPCOHC September 2014 Flyer

Location:

Community Health Care Hilltop Regional Health Center

1202 Martin Luther King Jr. Way

Tacoma, WA 98405

Community Room (1st Floor)

Time: 1-3 p.m.

CE: 1 CE available

Lunch will be provided, including vegetarian options. Please RSVP by September 8, at: pcohc@pcdentists.org.

Parking: Parking is available in the CHC parking lot behind the Hilltop Regional Health Center, or on the street.

Upcoming Gig Harbor “Day of Resources” …includes dental care

Project Homeless Connect and its Day of Resources arrives in Gig Harbor next month. The Pierce County Dental Society, along with other Pierce County Oral Health Coalition partners, will provide dental assessments and treatment triage at the Project Homeless Connect event on August 22, 2014. The upcoming activity will be held from 11:00 AM- 4:00 PM at the LDS Church, 12002 Peacock Hill Avenue NW, Gig Harbor, WA 98335. Please share this Flyer and event information with community members as appropriate.

 

Jennifer / Pierce County Dental Society Hannah / Community Health Care

Jennifer / Pierce County Dental Society
Hannah / Community Health Care

 

Washington leads nation in access to dental care for low-income children

Washington State has a reason to smile as the nation’s leader in the percentage of babies and preschoolers from low-income families getting dental care.

According to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, 54% of Medicaid-eligible young children are receiving oral care in Washington, a rate higher than any other state.  (For more information, see the May 9 story in the Puget Sound Business Journal: A reason to smile: Washington leads nation in access to dental care for low-income kids.)

In Pierce County, the percentage of Medicaid-eligible children accessing dental care has increased steadily since implementation of the Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD) program. The ABCD Program focuses on oral health education and early dental care for children ages 5 and under. In 2012, the percentage of Medicaid-eligible Pierce County children accessing dental care was just over 45%. Data and Medicaid dental reports are available on the Health Care Authority website.

While the above is good news, the challenge and opportunity exist, both State and county-wide, to connect the remaining percentages of Medicaid-eligible kids to dental care at least once a year. As a community, we can help by sharing the following oral health messages:

  • Oral health is an essential component of overall health.
  • Children should have a dental visit by first tooth or first birthday.
  • Dental disease is both preventable and treatable. Early oral health education and intervention are cost-effective health measures, and key to prevention of dental disease.
  • The ABCD program makes dental care possible for low-income children ages 0-5.  Find Pierce County ABCD and dentist referral information here.
  • Pierce County has many dental care providers, including many Pierce County Oral Health Coalition partners, who accept children, ages 0-18 who have WA Apple Health (Medicaid) insurance. Find low cost Pierce County dental providers here.

 

Bates Free Dental Clinic – October 2013

 

On Friday, Oct. 25, the Bates Dental Assisting Program opened its dental clinic, as it has in the past, to provide free dental care to uninsured Pierce County residents. The clinic was held in partnership with the Pierce County Dental Society and its Pierce County Dentists Care program. Pierce County Oral Health Coalition members and Pierce County dentists donated their time and resources to provide oral health assessments, X-rays, cleanings, and basic restorative care to 45 grateful patients. More than one-third of those with appointments were referred by the Project Homeless Connect dental team.

More Partners in Action…