Menu
Youth task force observes Dental Health Month, plans Smile Clinic
Members of the Vernon County Youth Task Force Dental Care for Kids subcommittee and individuals representing several local organizations met at the Nevada Public Library on Thursday, Feb. 18, to observe the month as National Children's Dental Health Month, recognize donors and continue planning the opening of the new Smile Clinic.
After a long time of trying to find a way to close the huge gap in children's dental care in the county, the VCYTF subcommittee, along with the help of Nancy Burks of Area Community Health Emissaries have finally succeeded in bringing a full service dental facility to Vernon County.
Slated to open in the spring of this year, the Smile Clinic will be open at 204 N. Cedar in Nevada. Initially, only children with MOHealthNet medical insurance (Medicaid) will be seen, but the organizers hope to expand services if public support of the project continues.
Donations from many areas of the community have made the project possible. The guidance of Burks and her organization has been "tremendous, it's been a Godsend" said committee member Dennis Painter. "We've had the vision for many years but have been frustrated. We could not have done it without ACHE. They had the background, the expertise."
Burks and the ACHE organization have helped get similar facilities started in other southwest Missouri communities. Clinics in Anderson, Carthage and Neosho serve the dental needs of children from at least a dozen counties. The clinic in Nevada is intended to serve the children of this county and any adjoining county. Burks shared some statistics that point out the need for such a clinic. For instance, 42 percent of the children in Vernon County are covered by the MOHealthNet type of coverage.
Not only did Burks bring a lot of expertise to the meeting with her, she brought a lot of information gained through setting up the other facilities.
There has been a lot of data gathered in this area and Burks thought it important to point out that "tooth decay is the single most chronic childhood disease in children in the United States."
Burks also pointed out that there is a lot of evidence to prove that poor oral health leads to broader health problems. She mentioned a specific link between gum disease and diabetes. All of these factors make this clinic very important to the children of the county. This clinic will benefit the community in other ways too! "This will be good for our community... People will spend money when they come to town to visit the clinic," said Barbara Long.
The building has already been rented and is available for some time with different options for the future available. It has been remodeled thanks to the generosity of the community and part of the gathering on Thursday was to recognize some of those contributors.
Contributions from the 3M Corporation, Moss House, United Methodist Women, United Way local 4-H clubs and many other generous individuals and members of the community are what has made the clinic possible.
Donations of all sizes are important and greatly appreciated whether they are $10,000 dollars or $100. Anyone can donate to the clinic. Donations can be made to VCYTF, Dental Care for Kids.
For more information or to donate contact committee members Dennis Painter of the Crossroads Community Church at (417) 667-6737 or Denise Nelson, Nevada R-5 Health Services director, at (417) 448-2028 or (4170 667-8625 or Barbara Long, Community Outreach cirector, at (417) 667-4339.