Giving Back: Dental Health for All
Meet our Winners!
Thanks for taking the time to vote for your favorites. We are so excited to reveal our five winners of the 2010 $20,000 project sponsorships. Each winner will make a difference in their community thanks to your support, and that's the best news of all.
Mobile Dental Care For The Homeless
Families First Health & Support Center
Portsmouth, New Hampshire
The Idea
Families First would send a mobile dental team to provide dental care at sites convenient for homeless people, with no appointments needed and no fees, and increase the number of subsidized visits offered to homeless people at Families First Dental Center for followup treatment.
Objective
The Tom's of Maine sponsorship money would provide oral exams, dental cleanings and other dental treatment to 300 homeless patients by the end of 2010.
Who Benefits
Homeless people who are suffering from dental pain, infection, tooth decay and tooth loss will benefit directly from this project. Indirectly, the entire community benefits when a person who had been unemployable due to disfiguring dental problems becomes a self-sufficient taxpayer.
Timeframe
6 months
Digital Radiology Project
Spanish Catholic Center, Inc
Washington, D.C
The Idea
We would like to install digital radiography in two of our five operatories. Installing digital radiology will decrease the time involved in taking x-rays from roughly 25 minutes, to 10 minutes per patient. We expect to increase the number of patients by 30% or 700 patients.
Objective
Patients will also see a significant reduction in the cost of each x-ray. We will use the Tom's sponsorship money to fund the first phase of installation for both operatories.
Who Benefits
We exclusively serve low-income and uninsured individuals of all ages within the Washington D.C metropolitan region. Digital x-ray technology will benefit the people we serve by reducing the time required for each x-ray, and will also reduce the amount of radiation exposure by at least 50%. The environment will be improved by eliminating chemicals.
Timeframe
3 months
Oral Health Access for Underserved Children in Rhode Island
St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island
Providence, RI
The Idea
In order to continue to provide the highest quality dental care for underserved RI pediatric populations, state-of-the-art equipment is needed. Our Pediatric Dental Program requests funds to purchase a dental operatory and related equipment/supplies, which will be housed at the SJHS Pediatric Dental Center in South Providence, Rhode Island.
Objective
This will allow us to provide a dental home for low-income, underserved children not previously served. The proposed project will: 1) increase access to pediatric dental care and 2) reduce the wait times for appointments. By establishing a dental operatory, it is projected that our service capacity would be expanded by 8% annually.
Who Benefits
Approximately 78% of our current pediatric dental patient population is enrolled in Medicaid programs and 16% are uninsured. Patient's ages range from birth up to 18 years old. Each dental operatory can accommodates up to 1,200 dental visits per year and has an average lifespan of seven years.
Timeframe
6 months
Dental Care Fund for the Uninsured
Family Health Centers
San Diego, California
The Idea
California's budget crisis has led to severe cuts for Denti-Cal, and has left many of San Diego's low-income families without access to dental care. A sponsorship from Tom's would allow FHC to provide treatments and procedures for families experiencing a demonstrated financial hardship.
Objective
Individuals and families expressing financial hardship and lack of insurance will be eligible to receive care, and be reimbursed by this fund. Clients served and procedures performed will be documented up to the $20,000 fund limit. Procedures covered would include basic exams, extractions, crowns, root canals, and other procedures.
Who Benefits
Over 60% of our clients are un-insured, and 97% live at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. These families would receive much-needed dental care through The Dental Care Fund for the Uninsured, for procedures like emergency dental care, and basic cleanings and other treatments.
Timeframe
3 to 6 months
Save the Smiles
Manos De Cristo
Austin, Texas
The Idea
This new program would increase the access and level of care to treat patients in need, by purchasing supplies like x-ray film, needles and syringes, suture materials, impression materials, infection control products, injectable and topical anesthetics, gloves, and face and body protection.
Objective
Manos de Cristo would be able to treat 470 additional patients by purchasing these supplies and equipment, within 3 months of receiving the funds. In the last year, the demand for care has been so high, that even after increasing the clinic's working hours, they still haven't been able to provide care to everyone who comes in the door.
Who Benefits
Patients who don't qualify for medicaid or who do not have insurance would qualify for treatment out of this program.
Timeframe
3 months