March News from OHA

The Pew Center on the States recently released a report grading each state and Washington D.C. on its policies regarding dental care and low-income children. Based on eight policy benchmarks, 35 states received a grade of C or lower. Click here to read the entire report.

BLOGGING FOR OHA

Our UNC intern, Ben Anders, is blogging for OHA! Click the link below to read about Ben's experience at the Gala.

Follow Ben's Blog

ACCESS TO ORTHODONTIC CARE

OHA is pleased to partner with Smiles Change Lives (SCL), a national nonprofit organization that helps low-income children obtain orthodontic treatment. If your organization or office is interested in sharing SCL's outreach materials with patients or other programs, contact Andrea Umbreit at andrea@smileschangelives.org or at (816) 421-4949. Orthodontists are welcome to join the SCL network by e-mailing partner@smileschangelives.org.

DR. RICHARD MECKSTROTH RECEIVES
ROBERT J. KLAUS DISTINGUISHED
ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Dr. Richard Meckstroth, Chairman of the Department of Dental Practice and Rural Health at West Virginia University School of Dentistry, was chosen by OHA's Board of Directors as the first recipient of the Robert J. Klaus Distinguished Achievement Award. The award was given on February 24, at a reception prior to OHA's Gala & Benefit.

We salute the international acclaim that Dr. Meckstroth has garnered for his research and organizational work aimed at better oral health care access for underprivileged children and adults.

In a recent letter to OHA, Dr. Meckstroth, who spearheads programs funded in part through OHA's Smiles Across America® (SAA) shared some of the successes of his efforts: "Our SAA-WV partners have reported it is very rewarding to offer the exams, prophys and sealants to families who brought their children for emergent needs. This program has helped to establish a true dental home not only for the child but for the family."

Pictured above: OHA Board Chair George Rhodes, President and CEO Beth Truett, and Board Member Steve Knight, who accepted the award on behalf of Dr. Meckstroth.

20TH ANNUAL GALA & BENEFIT BRINGS RECORD LEVEL OF SUPPORT FOR ORAL HEALTH AMERICA

Oral Health America held its 20th annual Gala and Benefit on Wednesday, Feb. 24, at Chicago's historic Union Station. Nearly 900 guests participated in silent and live auctions to benefit OHA while networking with fellow professionals before the Chicago Midwinter Dental Meeting. The event raised over $400,000, the highest amount in the Gala's 20-year history, for OHA's programs.

A special feature of this year's auctions was support for Smiles Across America® (SAA), an OHA program focused on oral disease prevention services in schools for children who are unable to obtain routine dental care due to lack of resources, low literacy or language barriers. Through 2009, SAA has provided $1.5 million in funding, supporting services to an estimated 250,000 children annually.

"Oral Health America is privileged to work to improve the oral health of Americans of all ages - particularly those who are most vulnerable," said Beth Truett, President and CEO, Oral Health America. "Our gala shined a spotlight on our work with children in school-based and school-linked settings across the country, and gave attendees the opportunity to support a national program at work in their own communities with at-risk children and families."

View photos from the gala here

Read the full press release here

Pictured above (left to right): Genevieve Bauer, Strategic Relations Manager, Taylor Corporation, and Gala Co-Chair; and Mike McCarthy, Chief Strategy Officer and Managing Partner, Lanmark Group, and Gala Committee Member; Milly Goldstein, President, Harry J. Bosworth Company, and OHA Board Member; and Herb Pozen, Vice President, Sales and Marketing, Harry J. Bosworth Company.

ADEAGies HONORS JOURNALIST MARY OTTO

The ADEAGies Foundation recognized journalist Mary Otto by selecting her as the recipient of a William J. Gies Award for Vision, Innovation, and Achievement. Ms. Otto accepted the award at the 2010 ADEA Annual Session and Exhibition on February 27. She was nominated for the award by Oral Health America.

"It is a great honor to be recognized by the ADEAGies Foundation," said Ms. Otto. "I feel like I really will need to work for the rest of my life to truly deserve such a distinction."

As a reporter for The Washington Post, Ms. Otto met 12-year-old Deamonte Driver and his mother Alyce. In an article about the Drivers, she told of the family's struggle to find a dentist in Maryland who would accept Medicaid.

While she was finishing the story, Deamonte died from a brain infection, a complication of a dental abscess. As a result of Ms. Otto's article, the state of Maryland made changes to its Medicaid dental system and Maryland Congressman Elijah Cummings and other local and state leaders brought the issue to light on the federal level, leading to the expansion of dental coverage in the 2009 Children's Health Insurance Bill.

Ms. Otto's work, along with Deamonte's story, also inspired the creation of the Deamonte Driver Dental Project, which is designed to provide grassroots solutions to the crisis in children's dental care in Prince George's County, Maryland.

Ms. Otto continues to research the disparities that exist in health care and dental care as a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).

Pictured above (left to right): Robert Johns, Executive Director, National Dental Association (NDA); Liz Rogers, Dir. Communications & Public Affairs, OHA; Beth Truett, President and CEO, OHA; Mary Otto; Dr. Walter Owens, President, NDA; Dr. Hazel Harper, Co-Founder, Deamonte Driver Dental Project.

HEALTH CARE REFORM NOW!

The U.S. House of Representatives will vote on two bills this week that are critical to health care reform: the health reform bill that has already passed in the Senate, and the "reconciliation" bill, which will be paired with the Senate bill.

"As hard as it has been for advocates and other supporters of health reform to cut through all the negative ads and misinformation, our efforts are beginning to work," said Bill Bentley, President and CEO of Voices for America's Children, OHA's advocacy partner. "Our message continues to be very clear, there are millions of children who continue to be without access to health care or quality health care and the time has arrived for Congress to act. But this is just the beginning. As we told House Speaker [Nancy Pelosi], this is the end of the initial discussion of what kids need, not the end of the discussion."

Now, more than ever, your voices are needed to speak up for oral health in health care reform, and make a difference in the lives of Americans of all ages. Support from the "grassroots" does make a difference in this process! Please take the time today to call your Representatives and express your support for health reform. 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. The oral health care provisions in the Senate health bill will help improve America's oral and overall health.

Personalize your message with a story about your own work and experiences.

And then, let us know what you told them: email liz@oralhealthamerica.org.

CORPORATE DONOR PROFILE: DENTSPLY

DENTSPLY Vice President and Chief Clinical Officer Linda Niessen, DMD, recently spoke with Oral Health America about DENTSPLY's Matching Gift program with our organization. Here's what she had to say:

OHA: Why does DENTSPLY participate in OHA's Healthy Mouths for Healthy Lives campaign?

Dr. Niessen: We recognize that not every person is able to visit a dental office and receive the dental care that they need. Partnering with the OHA's Healthy Mouths for Healthy Lives campaign offers an opportunity for DENTSPLY to share our resources with an organization that truly makes a difference and improve oral health across America.

OHA: DENTSPLY matches all donations to OHA, dollar for dollar, up to $100,000? What about our mission and vision makes DENTSPLY such a fabulous supporter?

Dr. Niessen: OHA's mission to change lives by connecting communities with resources is what makes DENTSPLY a natural partner. As the world's leading dental products manufacturer, DENTSPLY provides financial and product resources to OHA that can ultimately aid both organizations in achieving their missions, but most importantly, improve the oral health of the population. DENTSPLY's mission and our core values all support investing in oral health. DENTSPLY's "Matching Gift" program is designed to help others invest in oral health, too. What better way to contribute to OHA than through DENTSPLY's "Matching Gift" program which doubles your contribution. Every day, OHA's programs improve oral health, and by supporting OHA, you will be supporting these important programs.

OHA: OHA's programs are designed to improve dental access, provide education and advocate for the importance of Oral Health as a critical issue. How does this resonate with DENTSPLY's business model?

Dr. Niessen: Oral health is the focus of our business, just like it is the focus of OHA's programs. OHA's commitment to improving oral health resonates with DENTSPLY, because we share this commitment. DENTSPLY's product offerings span the needs of patients throughout their lives. Much like OHA's education programs are designed to advocate for oral health throughout a patient's life, our professional dental products span the preventive, restorative, orthodontic, endodontic, implant, and prosthetics care needs of patients at any age. Teeth were designed to last a lifetime and prevention isn't just for kids anymore. OHA and DENTSPLY, working together, can accomplish this!

OHA WELCOMES NEW BOARD MEMBER

Oral Health America is pleased to announce the election of Robert Walker, General Manger for OralDNA Labs, a Quest Diagnostics Company, to its board of directors.

"Working with other board members, I hope to bring the dental and medical communities closer together, so an individual's oral health is recognized as a key component to overall health," said Mr. Walker.

Mr. Walker has served as Vice President Administration at AEL and Vice President with Sonic Healthcare. He was Corporate Vice President, Sales at Esoterix Inc., an esoteric laboratory company, and served for 10 years with Apria Healthcare as Divisional Vice President. Mr. Walker started his career with Xerox Corporation as an Account Manager before moving to healthcare with STERIS Corporation. He is a graduate of Oklahoma State University.

DONOR PROFILE: THE AMERICAN ACADEMY OF IMPLANT DENTISTRY

Oral Health America is grateful for a recent financial contribution to our organization from the American Academy of Implant Dentistry (AAID). When asked why the association decided to support OHA, Chief Financial Officer F. Afshin Alavi said, "AAID recognizes and supports OHA's efforts to promote oral health to public. AAID's mission is to advance the art and science of implant dentistry in all its various aspects as a means to improve the overall dental health of the public. Since the overall dental health of the public is the main goal of both AAID and OHA, we see a value in OHA's efforts."

Joyce Sigmon, Director of Education and Credentialing for AAID, also has a personal connection to OHA. The American Fund for Dental Health, OHA's predecessor, funded a two-year scholarship through the American Dental Assistants Association, which helped Ms. Sigmon complete her undergraduate education at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

"My work in organized dentistry has been in keeping with OHA's mission to improve the public's dental health," said Ms. Sigmon. "Thanks to OHA for making a difference in people's lives, including mine."