IT'S ABOUT TIME!
Doug Harvey Elected to the National Baseball Hall of Fame
OHA congratulates legendary Major League Baseball Umpire and National Spit Tobacco Education Program
(NSTEP)
spokesman Doug Harvey upon his election to the National Baseball Hall of Fame on December 7, 2009. Mr. Harvey, who worked in the National League from 1962-1992 holds a career total of 4,670 games, and ranked third in Major League history at his retirement.
In August of 1997, Mr. Harvey, a long-time spit tobacco user, was diagnosed with throat cancer. He has shared his experiences with cancer, and offered strong warnings about the risks of spit tobacco use, with over two million children and families, and is looking forward to calling tobacco use like he sees it in front of a national audience at the Hall of Fame installation ceremony in July.
Congratulations, Doug! |
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Oral Health America
IN THE NEWS! 
Ladies' Home Journal gave its prestigious "Do Good" stamp to Trident® for supporting OHA's Smiles Across America® program
Read about the Stamp Program
The Madow Group talks about OHA's great work and successful programs Check It Out
Dentalcompare writes about Henry Schein's $10,000 contribution to OHA Click Here |
Real Simple magazine mentioned Oral Health America in their January 2010 Issue! OHA has been able to help callers find the dental care they are looking for
The Early Show on CBS also cites Oral Health America as a resource
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The Mommy Files blog discusses OHA's partnership with Trident and the Baylor College of Dentistry
Read Here
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| We Have a Winner! |
| Linda Miles, principal, Linda Miles & Associates/Speaking Consulting Network, participated in a OHA Annual Fund Drive contest and won two tickets to Oral Health America's Annual Benefit & Gala in February.
Thanks for your support Linda! We look forward to seeing you in a few weeks! |
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| GIVE TO OHA THROUGH THE UNITED WAY! |
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Did you know you can designate your United Way contribution to Oral Health America? We are registered with the IRS as a 501(C)3 tax-deductible charity.
United Way's workplace campaign usually takes place in the Fall. Please talk to your employer about adding Oral Health America to your list of charities or simply write us in and we'll take care of the paper work!
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SHOP WITH GIVEBACK
AMERICA.ORG |
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Frequently Shop Online?
GiveBackAmerica.org is an online shopping mall that was created to raise money for charities. Retailers, such as Expedia.com and Target.com, pay GiveBackAmerica.org
a commission to refer customers to their site. GiveBackAmerica.org takes the commission from the retailer and shares it with the charity of your choice. Please make Oral Health America that charity!
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OHA's 20th ANNUAL GALA & BENEFIT
Oral Health America cordially invites you to Connect in Chicago for our 20th Annual Gala & Benefit on Wednesday, February 24, 2010.
For 19 years, Oral Health America (OHA) has welcomed exhibitors and attendees to the Chicago Dental Society's Midwinter Dental Meeting with this highly-anticipated event which serves not only as a key fundraiser for OHA and its programs, but is also the premier networking event of the year for dental professionals and industry leaders.
This year, the gala will be held at Chicago's historic Union Station, and OHA is adding exciting new elements to the evening including: a lively performance by the Madow Group, a signature martini bar, a ruby ring raffle, and a silent auction to support OHA's Smiles Across America® program.
For more information please call (312) 836-9900 or e-mail Joe Donohue at joe@oralhealthamerica.org. Table and ticket reservations are available for purchase online at www.oralhealthamerica.org. |
THANK YOU FOR HELPING OHA TO GROW IN 2009!
Your support enabled Oral Health America to raise nearly $1.5 million in 2009. Thank you! We also want to thank our loyal Facebook and Twitter followers for spreading our news about OHA online.
Oral Health America is anticipating a purposeful and productive 2010. In addition to gearing up for our 20th Annual Gala and Benefit on February 24th, we are hiring additional program staff to help us launch five new Smiles Across America ® partnership sites in Arizona, Colorado, Florida, Maryland, and Ohio. You will see Oral Health America at more trade shows and conventions this year where we look forward to meeting you. We are deepening our commitment to older adults though the Wisdom Tooth Project; expanding our Medical-Dental Dialogues, and collaborating with corporate and programmatic partners throughout the year to inform the public about oral health's importance to overall health.
We are counting on you to help OHA provide resources to schools and clinics nationwide, invest in targeted communications to connect people to oral health information, and work for policies that support at-risk children, families and older adults. Thanks again for joining us in bringing healthy mouths to life! |
Supports OHA's Medical-Dental Dialogues
Oral Health America would like to thank the DentaQuest Foundation for their generous donation to support the dissemination of the proceedings from Oral Health America's fall symposium at the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). The eBriefings from the symposium, Collaborative Health Care for Older Adults are now online at the NYAS web site, reaching a global audience. To access the multimedia presentations of speakers' slides and audio, the meeting summary and links to related sources, click here! Oral Health America interviewed Mr. Ralph Fuccillo, President of the DentaQuest Foundation, to learn about the Foundation's commitment to supporting the Medical-Dental Dialogues.
OHA: Why is the DentaQuest Foundation partnering with OHA to support education programs and to develop dialogue between medicine and dentistry, particularly in regards to the care of older adults?
Mr. Fuccillo: Both Oral Health America and the DentaQuest Foundation recognize that the good oral health of older Americans is reflected in their total health and quality of life. The DentaQuest Foundation is working with medical and community health partners to be sure there are multiple points of contact for individuals to get information and education about the links between poor oral health and systemic conditions. The DentaQuest Foundation and OHA share the common goal of developing a professional model that encourages medical and dental professionals to work together in providing preventive oral health care to underserved populations.
OHA: OHA's mission focuses on increasing access, education and advocacy. How does the DentaQuest Foundation's mission intersect with OHA's?
Mr. Fuccillo: The DentaQuest Foundation's work plan supports the action steps of the 2003 Surgeon General's National Call to Action to Promote Oral Health. The first of five recommended action steps challenge us to change perceptions of oral health, to increase awareness that poor oral health is a chronic disease that is nearly 100% preventable when there is good information and access to care. The second action -- to replicate effective programs and proven methods - challenges us to work for a broader use of dental services and, by integrating oral health into other programs, create multiple points of contact for prevention and education. The fifth action encourages advocacy through increased collaboration and partnerships leading to shared solutions that improve oral health outcomes. Each of these goals of the DentaQuest Foundation overlap with the work that Oral Health America is providing to America's vulnerable populations. |
MOBILE DENTAL CARE IN CHICAGO
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center, one of Chicago's premier hospitals, runs a state-of-the-art dental van that visits multiple Chicago locations and provides free or reduced-cost services to children, families and seniors. The dental van has two dental chairs, an X-ray machine, waiting room and the myriad of lights, machinery and utensils required to provide professional dental services. OHA's Joe Donohue and Melissa Hoebbel had the opportunity to visit the van, a key element of Illinois Masonic's dental residency program.
 "The Mobile Dental Program brings essential dental services to the Chicago communities where they are needed the most," says Morgan Benson, Manager of Foundation and Government Relations, Advocate Charitable Foundation.
"A lot of us take oral health for granted--we forget how fundamental to overall health it is, and how debilitating it can be when we have a problem; oral health really affects every aspect of our health. By bringing these dental services to diverse populations across the city--from children and the elderly to disabled individuals and the homeless--the program is really providing its patients with better overall health, self confidence, and freedom from pain."
(Pictured at top, left to right) Morgan Benson, Manager of Foundation & Government Relations, Advocate Charitable Foundation; Dr. David Connell, DDS; Samia Rageb, UIC Dental Student; Dr. Harvey Wigdor, DDS, Director of the Mobile Dental Program & Chair, Department of Dentistry, Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center; Omar Abarca, Driver for the program; Joe Donohue, Manager of Individual and Corporate Development, OHA; Nohora Hernandez, Dental Assistant, and; Elena Cornea, Dental Assistant. |
 CDS Foundation Supports Smiles Across America®
Oral Health America received a grant from the Chicago Dental Society Foundation that will lend meaningful support for our Smiles Across America program in Chicago.
When SAA-Chicago discovered that only 15% of the 407,955 eligible children returned the consent forms enabling them to receive dental services through CDPH and CDS, a four-way partnership was formed including Heartland Health Outreach to educate principals, administrators and parents about the importance of signing up for dental services.
The educational project, Partners-in-Learning is beginning with a five school pilot, with plans to expand throughout the city. The first step was to include oral health consent forms with school lunch forms. This move alone increased the number of children from 61,000 to 100,000 year over year.
"The CDS Foundation is proud to partner with and support Oral Health America's effort to fight untreated dental disease by continuing to educate young students in the Chicago Public Schools. The CDS Foundation and its partners are dedicated to improving oral health of the community and applauds OHA's tireless effort to continue educating and empowering families and their communities," Rodney Watt, Executive Director, Chicago Dental Society Foundation. |
Health Reform: Now What?
Americans woke up this morning to the news of Scott Brown's victory in the special election to fill the late Ted Kennedy's Senate seat in Massachusetts. Mr. Brown's win means that the Democrats no longer have a fillibuster-proof majority in the Senate, and that political negotiations are more intense than ever to ensure that last year's progress on health reform does not get derailed.
What hasn't changed? Our need to improve our costly and inefficient healthcare system.
Last year the Senate and House both passed versions of healthcare bills. Stakeholders from all walks of life--perhaps you, too--came to the table to debate health care cost and delivery. Many of our hopes and strategies are included in the legislative language that has been developed so far. Let's not give up now!
Send a resounding message to your elected officials today. Let them know that health reform is important to you and why. Find phone numbers and e-mail addresses for your elected officials here: http://www.usa.gov/Contact/Elected.shtml.
Tell them: Health reform is critical to ensuring that all Americans are able to obtain the care that they need including oral health care:
Personalize your message with a story about your own work, experiences, and dreams.
And then, let us know what you told them. For as long as it takes, Oral Health America will continue to work for policies that improve oral health for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. A year into this health reform process, what do you think we should be focusing on? Please email liz@oralhealthamerica.org and help shape our long-term advocacy goals. |
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