Fall 2014 newsletter

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 :