How To Make A Difference

Oral Health America’s annual fundraising campaign brings essential support to the organization from individuals like you who believe that oral health is a vital part of overall health, and that all Americans should be able to obtain the dental care they need.  Your contribution allows us to work with communities across the country, helping them to develop the infrastructure necessary for sustainable dental care programs.

Please help us meet our 2008 fundraising goal of $100,000—we’re over halfway there!

Oral Health America is a registered 501 (c)3 nonprofit organization.  Your gift is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. 

Happy Holidays from Oral Health America

Dear Friends,

In this season of giving, we are grateful for the wonderful support that Oral Health America receives, and mindful of what our organization gives back to our country. Oral Health America speaks up for Americans who are unable to obtain the dental care that they need. Our new mission calls on the organization to connect resources, empower communities, and influence public policies and practice. Our long-term goal is to eliminate oral disease.

Earlier this fall, we heard from Kathy Martin, MS, RDH, Director of the City of Portland, Maine, Oral Health Program, one of our Smiles Across America® program partners. She said, "I don’t think people know that we see children in pain every day."  Tooth decay is preventable. 

Our programs are working to help individuals and communities ensure that children’s teeth are healthy. With your support, we provide our Smiles Across America program sites with resources, donated dental product, and development assistance. In 2009, Smiles Across America is expanding and we remain committed to our sites in Maine, New York City, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Chicago, Minnesota, Las Vegas, and Santa Barbara/Ventura Counties, CA.

I can report that Oral Health America is reaffirming our partnerships with stakeholders and increasing capacity (please see staff news below). We are taking a critical look at the way we operate, and raising the bar for staff performance.

As the national voice for the public’s oral health, we look forward to 2009 with great hope for increased recognition of dental care as a critical part of health care. Please consider an end-of-year gift of any amount to Oral Health America today. This is one issue where we truly can make a difference together.

Best wishes for a safe, peaceful, healthy and joyful holiday.

Beth Truett
President and CEO

OHA Applauds Selection of Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education

Oral Health America supports President-elect Obama’s choice of Arne Duncan as Secretary of Education.  As CEO of Chicago Public Schools, Mr. Duncan supported the significant expansion of the School Oral Health Program, which is administered by the Chicago Department of Health, and reached approximately 60,000 children in 2007-08. The program receives critical support from OHA’s Smiles Across America®. In a letter to Oral Health America, Mr. Duncan stated:

I [wish] to express my gratitude personally and behalf of the Chicago Public Schools for Oral Health America’s Smiles Across America program.  As you are aware, many of our children do not have insurance and many simply have never seen a dentist.  Smiles Across Chicago makes a crucial difference in their lives and gives them the opportunity to pursue learning in good health.

We look forward to working with Mr. Duncan to advance school health services, with dental care leading the way.

Product Donation Program On Target to Fulfill Commitment to America’s Promise

Oral Health America is an America’s Promise partner since 1998, and is committed to securing the delivery of one million dental sealants to 225,000 children by 2010.  We are pleased to report that 723,790 dental sealants have been provided to 192,670 children, and that requests for donated dental sealants continue to increase annually, especially as sealant programs experience budget cuts, and budgets are stretched to meet increasing demand.  The collaborative success of the program would not be possible without the support of our generous dental industry partners, 3M ESPE, Dentsply International, and Pulpdent, who have never turned down our requests for donated dental sealant materials. 

We expect to reach our one million sealant mark by December 31, 2009 and look forward to celebrating with the hundreds of treatment providers that we support each year, our product donors,  America’s Promise, and with you! 

To join us as a product donor or treatment provider partner in our million sealant commitment to America’s Promise, please contact Oral Health America at 312-836-9900 or email smiles@oralhealthamerica.org.

Tammy Dillard-Steels Joins OHA as
Director of Programs

Oral Health America is pleased to welcome Tammy Dillard-Steels, MBA, MPH, as Director of Programs. Tammy is accountable for all aspects of the organization’s programs, including Smiles Across America®, programmatic activity under a Cooperative Agreement with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the National Spit Tobacco Education Program. Tammy will collaborate with colleagues on National Smile Month and the National Periodontal Disease Symposium, and also work with OHA staff and leadership to expand partnerships and secure funding for programs.

Tammy comes to Oral Health America with extensive community organizing, marketing, and programming experience. She is the Founder and Executive Director of Chicago’s Urban Sustainability Authority (USA), a non-profit organization dedicated to creating long-term processes to modify behaviors and reduce disparities in underserved communities. Under her leadership, Exposure 101 was developed, providing after-school and summer apprenticeship programming for inner-city youth in partnership with Chicago Public Schools; Tammy has spearheaded numerous collaborative community outreach efforts and advocated for healthy communities in the state. Prior to her work at USA, Tammy served as the Senior Safety Professional at Commonwealth Edison, providing consultation on health, safety, and industrial hygiene issues. Throughout her career, Tammy has managed significant budgets, and contributed to cost-savings by implementing effective practice systems. She is also a skilled fundraiser.

Tammy is Treasurer of the Board, Illinois State University Black Colleagues Association, is a Board Member of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce and member of the Association Forum of Chicago, and Chicago Asthma Consortium. She was a 2007 Fellow at the CDC’s Environmental Public Health Leadership Institute.

Sue Dodd Launches Consulting Practice

Sue Dodd has started a consulting practice, SCD Healthcare, LLC, and is serving in a new role at Oral Health America. The organization is one of Sue’s clients, representing a third of her business beginning in 2009. Sue will continue to manage Trident’s® sponsorship of the Smiles Across America® program, and oversee implementation of the Smiles Across America program as it relates to Trident’s support.  She will also serve as a consultant to Oral Health America’s Cooperative Agreement with the CDC, and participate in the development of the 2009 Oral and Medical Health Symposium (NPDC).

Sue has served in multiple capacities for Oral Health America, including as a coordinator for the state of Georgia for the National Spit Tobacco Education Program (NSTEP), as the Director of NSTEP, and most recently, as Oral Health America’s Director of Programs. We look forward to working with Sue in her new capacity, and watching her business grow.

Celebrate a Special Person in Your Life

A gift in honor of someone special can be a heartfelt way to share your support for a cause you believe in.  Your gift creates a lasting legacy that will be acknowledged through a special note from Oral Health America to your special someone.  Please contact Joseph Donohue, joe@oralhealthamerica.org, or call (312) 836-9900.   Or donate via our secure Verisign server today .  Thank you!

Thank you for your Support!

Our sincere thanks to those who support Oral Health America. Your contribution enables Oral Health America to ensure that families are able to get the dental care they need. Thanks to the generosity of DENTSPLY International, your contribution is matched dollar-for-dollar, effectively doubling your gift to us. If you have not yet made a contribution, please click here to donate through our secure online server.

Another way to support Oral Health America is to use the search engine www.goodsearch.com.  Simply enter Oral Health America in the "who do you search for" field. Each time you search, a small contribution will be made to Oral Health America.

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Oral Health America is working to eliminate oral disease by connecting resources, empowering communities, and influencing public policies and practices.  To learn about how you can participate, e-mail us: info@oralhealthamerica.org.

 Vol. 4, Issue 7, December 2008