USA - City To Bring Dental Care To Schools
City To Bring Dental Care To Schools
POSTED: 4:33 pm EDT October 4, 2007
UPDATED: 4:49 pm EDT October 4, 2007
BALTIMORE -- Maryland is getting a failing grade when it comes to dental care for poor children, so city school officials are starting a new program to combat the problem.
According to a new Congressional report, nearly 11,000 children eligible for Medicaid have not seen a dentist in at least four years, and another 22,000 have not received dental care in the past two years.
The city Department of Health offers free dental services for those who qualify, and that's why Barbara Hawkins said she brought her 16-year-old daughter there.
"Instead of running around like I had to do at a couple of places, I came up here and they accepted me just like that," she said.
The federal government took a serious look at the state of dental care among children after the tragic death of Deamonte Driver. The 12-year-old Prince George's County boy died in January of an infection caused by an abscessed tooth, officials said. His mother did not have health insurance.
Next month, Baltimore city school officials are kicking off a new dental care program called Mobile Dentists. The group will set up mini dental offices in a number school buildings around the city for families who can't afford the care.
Parent Shirley Harrison said she couldn't believe that the Maryland numbers were so high, but said she believes she may know what the root of the problem is.
"Some of the children -- their parents work maybe one or two jobs. They might be going to school and working, and they may not actually have the time," she said.
Booker T. Washington Middle School will be the first stop for the Mobile Dentists program.
To find out more about the mobile clinics, go to mobiledentists.com.
Copyright 2007 by wbaltv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published
POSTED: 4:33 pm EDT October 4, 2007
UPDATED: 4:49 pm EDT October 4, 2007
BALTIMORE -- Maryland is getting a failing grade when it comes to dental care for poor children, so city school officials are starting a new program to combat the problem.
According to a new Congressional report, nearly 11,000 children eligible for Medicaid have not seen a dentist in at least four years, and another 22,000 have not received dental care in the past two years.
The city Department of Health offers free dental services for those who qualify, and that's why Barbara Hawkins said she brought her 16-year-old daughter there.
"Instead of running around like I had to do at a couple of places, I came up here and they accepted me just like that," she said.
The federal government took a serious look at the state of dental care among children after the tragic death of Deamonte Driver. The 12-year-old Prince George's County boy died in January of an infection caused by an abscessed tooth, officials said. His mother did not have health insurance.
Next month, Baltimore city school officials are kicking off a new dental care program called Mobile Dentists. The group will set up mini dental offices in a number school buildings around the city for families who can't afford the care.
Parent Shirley Harrison said she couldn't believe that the Maryland numbers were so high, but said she believes she may know what the root of the problem is.
"Some of the children -- their parents work maybe one or two jobs. They might be going to school and working, and they may not actually have the time," she said.
Booker T. Washington Middle School will be the first stop for the Mobile Dentists program.
To find out more about the mobile clinics, go to mobiledentists.com.
Copyright 2007 by wbaltv.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published
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