Nov. 21, 2008
Public Private Partnership Aims to Improve Children’s Oral Health
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Fresh from the release of an AP analyzed study which labeled Huntington as the latest “unhealthiest city” in the USA, U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D- WV) announced a children’s preventive care partnership.
The report castigated Huntington, in particular, while the statistics actually also incorporate statistics for rural portions of the Tri State region. Based on data culled from Center for Disease Control (CDC) statistics, West Virginia has the highest rate of natural teeth loss in the country: 69.6% of seniors 65 and older have lost six more teeth and 42.9 % have lost all of their teeth. Poor dental health often rises as a result of poor oral health and lack of adequate dental care in childhood. Children with untreated dental problems experience pain and difficulty eating and sleeping and can have trouble adjusting socially and performing in school.
Rahall applauded the public private partnership between the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation which increases youth access to preventive dental service through school-community cooperation.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and this program is packed with the kind of preventative measures we need to improve the health of our state," said Rahall. "Dental disease is the single most prevalent chronic childhood disease, but it is also almost 100 percent preventable. We need more public-private collaborations of this kind to help bring easily accessible, preventative health care straight to the children who need it most."
The $500,000 grant will help establish school-based dental clinics which will be managed by the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University.
"Good oral health is essential to the overall health and well-being of our children and the future health of our State," said Rahall. "With few affordable options for oral health care available, our children's dental care is often overlooked, leading to poor performance in school and costly health complications later in life. If we can establish healthy dental habits in West Virginia's children at an early age, we can greatly increase their chances of maintaining good health overall throughout life."
Rahall has long fought to provide affordable and accessible health care to the people of West Virginia, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization bill, which increased access to dental health care for more than 10 million children across the Nation.
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Public Private Partnership Aims to Improve Children’s Oral Health
By Tony Rutherford
Huntingtonnews.net Reporter
Huntington, WV (HNN) – Fresh from the release of an AP analyzed study which labeled Huntington as the latest “unhealthiest city” in the USA, U.S. Rep. Nick J. Rahall (D- WV) announced a children’s preventive care partnership.
The report castigated Huntington, in particular, while the statistics actually also incorporate statistics for rural portions of the Tri State region. Based on data culled from Center for Disease Control (CDC) statistics, West Virginia has the highest rate of natural teeth loss in the country: 69.6% of seniors 65 and older have lost six more teeth and 42.9 % have lost all of their teeth. Poor dental health often rises as a result of poor oral health and lack of adequate dental care in childhood. Children with untreated dental problems experience pain and difficulty eating and sleeping and can have trouble adjusting socially and performing in school.
Rahall applauded the public private partnership between the Appalachian Regional Commission (ARC) and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation which increases youth access to preventive dental service through school-community cooperation.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and this program is packed with the kind of preventative measures we need to improve the health of our state," said Rahall. "Dental disease is the single most prevalent chronic childhood disease, but it is also almost 100 percent preventable. We need more public-private collaborations of this kind to help bring easily accessible, preventative health care straight to the children who need it most."
The $500,000 grant will help establish school-based dental clinics which will be managed by the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University.
"Good oral health is essential to the overall health and well-being of our children and the future health of our State," said Rahall. "With few affordable options for oral health care available, our children's dental care is often overlooked, leading to poor performance in school and costly health complications later in life. If we can establish healthy dental habits in West Virginia's children at an early age, we can greatly increase their chances of maintaining good health overall throughout life."
Rahall has long fought to provide affordable and accessible health care to the people of West Virginia, including the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) reauthorization bill, which increased access to dental health care for more than 10 million children across the Nation.
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