Do you want to to learn about the impact of tobacco on your health and your community, while exploring related health careers?

Day 1:  “What’s Up with Tobacco?” Personal and Societal Implications of Tobacco Use

Day 2: “Who’s Here to Help?”  Exploring Tobacco-Related Health Careers

Day 3: “Stand Up.  Speak Out.”  Public Advocacy: Effecting Change on a Health Issue

Day 4:  “Spread the Word.” Educating the Community

Day 5: “Share and Celebrate!”  Service Learning Presentations to the Community

Open to Bridgeport, Stratford and Norwalk high school students entering grades 10-12.   At the University of Bridgeport.

Sponsored by Southwestern AHEC, the American Lung Association of New England,  the University of Bridgeport, and the State of Connecticut Department of Public Health Tobacco Control Division.

CONTACT:  Vivian Munoz, vmunoz@swctahec.org or Joan Lane, jlane@swctahec.org  at (203) 372-5503

Southwestern AHEC, 5520 Park Avenue, Suite 109, Trumbull, CT  06611

What a Smile!

Gloria, an 8 y.o. girl from Bridgeport, had never seen a dentist.  Her mouth hurt and her mother heard about ORBIT’s Give Kids A Smile Program.   Thanks to the generosity of 63 dentists in the greater Bridgeport region, Gloria was one of 452 children who is now able to SMILE and be happy!   Funding to coordinate this program ends today, and donations are needed so we can keep children like Gloria from missing school due to tooth pain, and improving their self-esteem because they have a bright, and shining smile!   Please consider making a donation today – just click on the DONATE NOW button on the website!  Have a Happy New Year!

What better way to say goodbye to summer, and usher in the fall season, than with Southwestern AHEC’s Lobster Clambake? Enjoy delicious food, good music, and great company, while helping us continue to help others. All the proceeds are to benefit Southwestern AHEC, and the Give Kids A Smile^® Program in Greater Bridgeport.

Click on the link!

ORBIT Stars invitation-1 pg-FINAL

To learn more, click on the link for more information about receiving free dental care or volunteering to help with the event. http://www.csda.com/ctmom/ctmom.html

CT MOM - Providing Adult Dental Care for those in Need

Trumbull, Connecticut, January 21, 2010—-Encouraging a lifetime of good dental hygiene, and offering urgently-needed dental care to children without dental insurance are the goals of the Give Kids A Smile® 2010 program.

In recognition of National Dental Health Month in February, 57 area dentists will treat children, ages 3 to 18, in their offices who otherwise lack access to affordable dental care. For the past four years, the Southwestern Area Health Education Center’s Oral Health Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT), in collaboration with the Bridgeport Dental Association, has successfully supported this important initiative, which helps to increase public awareness for children’s need to receive regular dental care.

Beginning on Tuesday, Feb. 2, GKAS® participating dentists in Bridgeport, Stratford, Trumbull, Fairfield, Southport, Monroe, Shelton, Milford, Orange and New Haven opened their offices to provide free dental care. The following services are offered: cleanings, exams, x-rays, sealants, fluoride treatments, fillings, crowns, pulpotomies, root canals and,extractions.

Appointments must be made in advance by calling the Southwestern AHEC’s Oral Health Care Coordinator Vani Anand, MPH, at (203) 372-5503, ext 12.

Funded by a grant from the Connecticut Health Foundation, Give Kids A Smile® in 2009 provided dental services for 450 local children, said Meredith Ferraro, Executive Director of Southwestern AHEC.

Ferraro noted, “We were fortunate to have 52 dentists who provided services valued at more than $150,000.”

Families are encouraged to call for an appointment as soon as possible. “We are also scheduling appointments throughout the entire month of February so that we can accommodate as many children as possible,” Ferraro noted.

Participating dentists recognize the need for families to establish good dental habits at an early age. Routine dental care at home includes daily brushing and flossing as well as regular dental checkups. This year the American Dental Association strongly urges families to also establish a “dental home” for their children so that they will have a comfortable, familiar setting to receive regular dental care.

Untreated dental problems affect children’s overall health, said Dr. Brian Amoroso, president of the Bridgeport Dental Association. Studies reveal that dental caries, or tooth decay, is the most prevalent chronic childhood disease, resulting in excruciating pain, infection, difficulty eating, sleeping and speaking.

“Children who do not have dental insurance are a population that cannot fight for themselves because of their (financial) limitations,” Dr. Amoroso said. “When you have a toothache, you are easily distracted and cannot focus in class. You may even have to miss classes because of the pain.”

Dental problems also exacerbate children’s feelings of low self-esteem and contribute to a poor self-image.

“It’s wonderful because many local dentists have quietly been taking care of children who do not have access to dental insurance for years,” said Ferraro. “Our goal with the Give Kids A Smile® initiative is to put the children who do not have dental insurance together with the dentists who are willing to help.”

More than ever, as the faltering economy continues to lead to job reduction and loss of insurance benefits, free dental care for children is needed.

“The Give Kids A Smile® program is one that my staff and I have truly enjoyed being a part of over the last few years,” said Dr. Salvatore Pizzino, the Bridgeport Dental Association’s program’s chairperson. “Since 2007, it’s been exciting to see the steady increase in the number of children receiving treatment as well as an increase in the number of members volunteering their services. It’s fulfilling to give back to the community, especially to children in need, and I am fortunate to have the ability to do that.  During these difficult economic times, our help is even more appreciated and I hope that we are an inspiration to other people in our community.”

The Connecticut State Dental Association applauded last year’s program in the greater Bridgeport region. Participating dentists are also recognized by the Southwestern AHEC and the Bridgeport Dental Association at their annual meeting in May.

Tax deductible donations to the Give Kids A Smile® 2010 program are also appreciated. Checks should be made payable to “Southwestern AHEC” and mailed to Southwestern AHEC, 5520 Park Avenue, Suite 109, Trumbull, CT  06611.

For more information about the program, you may contact Vani Anand, MPH, ORBIT’s oral health care coordinator at (203) 372-5503, ext. 12; Dr. Brian Amoroso, President of the BDA, at (203) 333-3636; or Dr. Salvatore Pizzino, BDA’s GKAS Chairman, at (203) 255-5142.

Give Kids A Smile is the American Dental Association-endorsed, annual volunteer initiative to provide free dental care to children in need.  Dentists and dental hygienists from the Bridgeport Dental Association (BDA) volunteer their services, so that children with no dental insurance can receive both preventive care and treatment for oral health problems.

2010 will be the 4th year that Southwestern AHEC and the BDA have partnered to conduct Give Kids A Smile.  In February 2009, donated dental services valued at more than $139,000 were provided by 48 dentists to 323 children.  More than 50 dentists have already signed up to participate in February 2010.

For information, contact Oral Health Care Coordinator Vani Anand at (203) 372-5503 ext 12.

Young patient receives free care during Give Kids A Smile day 2009

Southwestern AHEC has the opportunity to return to a successful program it last conducted in Bridgeport in 2004. Under a contract with the Community Health Center Association of CT (CHC ACT), Community Health Outreach Workers will be trained to be integral members of the health care delivery team, providing appropriate services to underserved clients and diverse communities, such as immigrants.

The overall goal of this initiative is to increase the percentage of eligible children who are enrolled in HUSKY, the State’s Medicaid program for children. Community Health Workers (CHWs) who are familiar with the community and can present the HUSKY opportunity in a family-friendly manner are often most successful in meeting this goal.

Some of the specific objectives of the Community Health Outreach Worker training curriculum are to:

• Develop effective communication, advocacy, and culturally appropriate outreach and enrollment services.
• Learn data collection and documentation procedures.
• Learn to develop goals and treatment planning necessary to impact communities served.
• Become familiar with community agencies as referral sources and collaborative partners.
• Develop teamwork skills.

Southwestern AHEC’s Community Health Worker Curriculum further developed when serving as a Technical Assistance partner in the Community Health Worker National Education Collaborative, www.chw-nec.org from 2005 – 2007. This allowed us to participate in sharing best practices for educating Community Health Workers with others across the USA.

Carl Rush, Consultant - Community Resources, LLC, E. Lee Rosenthal, Ph.D, MS, MPH, Assistant Professor, University of Texas, El Paso, and Yvonne Lacey, Promotores in California working on the framework for education of Community Health Workers

Graduation of the Community Health Worker Class of 2003 with Mentors

Oral Health Bridgeport Initiative (ORBIT) urges area dentists to volunteer their services to make a real difference in the lives of children in need. Dentists can volunteer on February 5^th or on any other day in February that is convenient for them. Dentists can also choose how many children they will see and the types of services they or their hygienists will provide.

For the past three years in a row, ORBIT has successfully organized Give Kids A Smile® (GKAS), the American Dental Association – endorsed, annual, volunteer initiative, when caring dentists nation-wide donate dental services to low-income children, without access to care. For GKAS 2009, ORBIT coordinated the identification of 444 needy children from Bridgeport and Stratford, and the delivery of dental care valued at over $150,000, donated by 52 dentists belonging to the Bridgeport Dental Association.

The Connecticut State Dental Association has recognized ORBIT’s program as the most successful GKAS initiative in Connecticut and has appointed Vani Anand, ORBIT’s Oral Health Care Coordinator as a consultant to its state-wide GKAS Steering Committee. As a result, Southwestern AHEC is developing a GKAS CT Toolkit, so that ORBIT’s successful strategies can be implemented in other parts of the state. Local dental societies of Stamford and New Haven have approached ORBIT to help implement GKAS in their communities.

Dentists wishing to participate in GKAS 2010 are requested to contact Vani Anand, MPH, CHES, ORBIT’s Oral Health Care Coordinator at (203) 372-5503 X12. They can also receive more information about GKAS 2010 from Dr. Brian Amoroso, President of the BDA, at (203) 333-3636 or from Dr. Salvatore Pizzino, BDA’s GKAS Chairman, at (203) 255-5142.

Vani will follow up with identifying and scheduling kids for the dates and times dentists make available for care. ORBIT also solicits donations to help provide free transportation for children with out-of-town dental appointments, and no means of transportation. For those wishing to make a donation, please make your check payable to Southwestern AHEC, Inc. (fiduciary agent for ORBIT), and mail to: Southwestern AHEC, 5520 Park Avenue, Suite 109, Trumbull, CT 06611. Donations are tax deductible.