ORAL HEALTH AMERICA
NONPROFIT ORG U.S. POSTAGE PAID PERMIT 329 CHAMPAIGN, IL
BRINGING HEALTHY MOUTHS TO LIFE
FALL 2014
180 North Michigan Ave. Ste. 1150 Chicago, Illinois 60601
BRINGING HEALTHY MOUTHS TO LIFE FALL NEWSLETTER WWW.ORALHEALTHAMERICA.ORG
Oral Health America is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. Your gift is tax deductible to the fullest extent of the law. DONATE TODAY AT
WWW.ORALHEALTHAMERICA.ORG
Oral Health America
Smile4Health
Oral Health America Rebecca Rubin, Health Education Outreach Coordinator for the Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society Children’s Clinic with young attendees at the clinic’s recent Smiles Across America® launch event in Berwyn, IL.
DONATE TO ORAL HEALTH AMERICA BEFORE DECEMBER 31ST AND
IVOCLAR VIVADENT WILL MATCH YOUR GIFT DOLLAR FOR DOLLAR
As Mark Twain said, “Wrinkles only mark where smiles have been.” At OHA we want every smile to be healthy, including those of older adults who are facing a crisis when it comes to oral healthcare in this country. Now through the end of the year, your support for OHA’s work for oral health can go even further thanks to the generosity of Ivoclar Vivadent. Every dollar given to OHA will be matched by Ivoclar, up to $50,000. Visit www.oralhealthamerica.org to make a gift today and support oral healthcare and education for vulnerable Americans.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE WORK OHA IS DOING TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO CARE ACROSS THE NATION. VISIT ORALHEALTHAMERICA.ORG AND ©2014 Oral Health America
DONATE TODAY!!
®Wisdom Tooth Project, NSTEP and Smiles Across America are registered trademarks of Oral Health America
DEAR FRIENDS OF OHA, With Smiles Across America® (SAA) celebrating its tenth anniversary this year, it is important to remember why programs like SAA are needed. SAA provides oral healthcare and education to children who otherwise do not have access to regular dental care. The War on Poverty started with President Johnson in 1964, but we have a long way to go to ensure that all of America’s children get the start they need to succeed. Those who support SAA and all of OHA’s programs with a donation will see their generosity doubled thanks to Ivoclar Vivadent, who will match every dollar given to OHA now through the end of the year up to $50,000. Visit www. oralhealthamerica.org to make a gift today and support oral healthcare and education for all vulnerable Americans.
President and CEO
Celebrating a Decade of Needed
ORAL HEALTH for Children Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease in America, with more than 51 million school hours lost each year to dental-related illness. OHA has been fighting against these statistics for the past ten years through Smiles Across America® (SAA), which provides dental care and education for children in school-based and schoollinked settings. After starting with the Chicago Department of Public Health in 2004, OHA expanded SAA throughout the country and now reaches 440,000 children each year, providing grant funding, technical support, product donations and
supportive research to our partners. In honor of a decade of bringing healthy smiles to life for children, OHA is hosting celebration events this fall with our five founding partners—Kids Smiles in Philadelphia, the Santa BarbaraVentura Counties Dental Foundation, Chicago Department of Public Health, Children’s Dental Services in Minnesota and the New York University College of Dentistry. Visit oralhealthamerica.org for more information and check out our Facebook page at www.facebook. com/oralhealthamerica to see photos from all the events.
ORALHEALTHAMERICA.ORG
OHA and Oral Healthcare Can’t Wait, an initiative of the Dental Trade Alliance, hosted “Communities Matter: Does Your Neighborhood Determine Your Oral Health” on Capitol Hill on Sept. 10, addressing disparities that exist in oral healthcare in this country. Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) was honored for his legislative work supporting oral health and the Honorable Louis Wade Sullivan received the Marvin Goldstein Outstanding Public Service Award for his dedication to improving public health both during his term as Secretary of Health and Human Services and beyond. Support for this program was provided by a variety of valued sponsors including 3M ESPE and The Procter & Gamble Company.
The Honorable Louis Wade Sullivan (left) and Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) (right) at OHA’s event on Capitol Hill.
FA L
L for SMILES
A Life Dedicated to Improving the Health of All Americans The Honorable Louis Wade Sullivan, who received this year’s Marvin Goldstein Outstanding Public Service Award, has dedicated his career to improving the health of the nation, serving as president of the Moorhead School of Medicine for more than two decades and as Secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. During his
OHA Takes Message to the
®
Little League World Series
NSTEP® slogan contest winner Alex Smith from Falls Church, VA
so important. OHA’s annual NSTEP
addition, nearly 750 adults and kids
slogan contest asked Little League®
at the World Series signed the NSTEP
Baseball and Softball players to
Anti-Tobacco Pledge, promising to
submit a slogan about the dangers
not use any tobacco product and to
Almost half of all new spit tobacco
of spit tobacco, with 12-year-old
encourage their family and friends to
users start before the age of 18, which
Alex Smith from Falls Church, VA,
avoid tobacco products as well. Alex
is why OHA’s work of educating
penning the winning slogan, “Play
signed the pledge when he attended
all
young
with grit, strive to hit, but never spit!”
the series with his family, where he
Americans, about the dangers of spit
His slogan reached tens of thousands
threw out the first pitch at one of the
tobacco through NSTEP® (National
of adults and children at the Little
World Series’ playoff games.
Spit Tobacco Education Program) is
League Baseball World Series. In
Americans,
especially
TOOTH WISDOM: GET SMART About Your Mouth Empowers Older Adults to Care for Their Mouths
term as Secretary of the Department of HHS, Dr. Sullivan introduced an improved FDA food label, released Healthy
The goal of OHA’s Wisdom Tooth Project® is to increase access to care for older adults and to give them the
People 2000, a guide for health promotion activities, and educated the public about the dangers of tobacco. He
resources needed to have a healthy mouth. To that end, OHA launched Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your
currently serves as chairman of the board of the National Health Museum in Atlanta and CEO and Chairman of The
Mouth, a first-of-its-kind workshop to increase the self-efficacy of older adults for their daily oral healthcare and
Sullivan Alliance, which raises awareness about the importance and value of achieving racial and ethnic diversity in
empower them with the knowledge and tools they need to care for their mouths. The first workshop was held at
health professions, disseminates information about best practices and resources that enhance the health professions
the Holmstad Retirement Community in Batavia, IL, where participants learned about daily oral healthcare and
pipeline and stimulates academic programs and partnerships to create new diversity initiatives.
asked questions about complications that might arise later in life. Most importantly, they were assured that it is
“I was honored to receive this recognition and to learn of the history of this award. I’m from Atlanta and Dr. Goldstein had a special role in helping change the face of the city, both as a dentist and the general social setting, which made receiving the award more special,” said Dr. Sullivan. “While dental issues have traditionally taken a second place, in the past several years there has been more interest, with there being a recognition that the mouth is an important part of the body. I’m encouraged that it is changing.”
never too late to establish good oral health habits. Learn more about Get Smart About Your Mouth and all of OHA’s work for older adults through the Wisdom Tooth Project® at www.oralhealthamerica.org and toothwisdom.org.
MEET THE NEWEST MEMBERS OF OHA OHA’s fellowship program allows
Nnanabu, who is working with
college
wish
Smiles Across America®. Both are
dentistry
doing great work for our programs
become
and plan on attending dental school
OHA’s
following their fellowship years. In
programs that improve the oral
addition, we also welcomed our
health of vulnerable Americans.
first-ever
OHA is a Better Business Bureau accredited charity, meeting all 20 standards of charity
OHA’s current fellows are Danica
Bianca Rogers, who is focusing
accountability. These standards include excellence in how OHA governs the organization,
Collins, who is working with the
on
the truthfulness of OHA’s representation and the willingness to disclose basic information
Wisdom Tooth Project® and Terigray
Welcome!
Proud to Be an Accredited Charity
to the public. We’re proud to participate in the Charity Seal Program and are committed to
graduates
who
to
pursue
careers
in
or
dental
hygiene
to
intimately
involved
with
OHA’s
Advocacy
Coordinator,
legislative
priorities.
(Left to right) Advocacy Coordinator Bianca Rogers, Programs and Communications Coordinator— Older Adults Danica Collins and Programs and Communications Coordinator—Children Terigray Nnanabu.
continuing to meet these high standards. P R I N T I N G G E N E R O U S LY D O N AT E D B Y :