GKAS grant recipients

COSTA MESA, California--Give Kids A Smile Fund grant recipients were honored May 10, 2011, at the Fourth Annual American Dental Association Foundation Give Kids A Smile Awards Gala in Washington D.C. For the fourth consecutive year, CareCredit donated $100,000 to the fund, enabling the recipients to make services and care more accessible for children in underserved communities.Recipients--the Southern Illinois University Dental Hygiene Program, University of Nevada Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine, Smiles and Blessings, Virginia Oral Health Coalition, Bethany for Children and Families, and San Francisco Department of Public Health Dental Services--will use funding to develop and execute care management systems for children screened during the February 2011 Give Kids A Smile Day to secure needed dental care. Additionally, $25,000 in Program Champion Grants was awarded to four established national oral-health programs. The Dr. Samuel D. Harris National Museum of Dentistry will use the award to increase oral health literacy by updating and distributing “Mouth Power Kits” to Title 1 schools in Baltimore, Md. Smiles Change Lives will make pro bono orthodontic care available to additional children. Team Smile will add equipment at Team Smile events to provide more underserved children with dental care. Finally, the National Association of School Nurses will develop oral health awareness material specifically for children and youth who are disadvantaged and at risk for dental disease.Credit guidelines: The "secret weapon" successful practices use to reduce stress and increase collections“Children dealing with dental disease are at a serious disadvantage,” said Cindy Hearn, Give Kids A Smile Advisory Committee member and senior vice president of marketing at CareCredit.“It can leave them distracted and fatigued, making it even more difficult to thrive in school. CareCredit is proud to be the founding donor of the Give Kids A Smile Program Growth Fund because we know how much each grant recipient impacts the lives of children who have little or no access to necessary oral care.”Practices interested in participating in the Give Kids A Smile Day on Feb. 3, 2012, can volunteer or find more information at www.givekidsasmile.ada.org. For more information, call (800) 300-3046, ext. 4519 or visit www.carecredit.com.To comment on this topic, go to community.pennwelldentalgroup.com/.