8
Smoke Signals
East Multnomah County .Children'
get Emeirgeimcv Dental Care
A visit from the Dental Van becomes an important part of the school day,
thanks to Grant from the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
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Dentists like these are now mobile and able to go to kids who need their care.
By Chris Mercier
There is no bell. There are no
sweets. And the only guarantee is a
half-hour or so of complete discom
fort and the constant affirmation that
it's all for the best. Sure the dentist
in white may be very nice and
friendly, but to many children, the
Dental Van will be nothing more
than the Ice Cream Truck's evil twin
brother. But for many parents, it will
be an utter blessing as their
children's painful grimaces turn into
brilliant smiles.
More than 350 school children suf
fering from severe dental problems
will be able to receive emergency den
tal services, thanks to a recent grant
to the Multnomah Education Service
DistrictNorthwest Medical Teams
Dental Van from the Confederated
Tribes of Grand Ronde's Spirit Moun
tain Community Fund.
The Tribe's Spirit Mountain Com
munity Fund awarded $31,666 to
support Dental Van visits in the Cen
tennial, David Douglas, Gresham
Barlow, and Reynolds school districts
for the 2000-01 school year. The
money will be used for prescriptions
and dental supplies, and to cover the
cost of substitutes needed for school
nurses while they coordinate the on
site dental visits. The van is staffed
by volunteer dentists and supported
by the Northwest Health Foundation
and the Oregon Dental Foundation.
"This program makes such a dif
ference for children and- so many
people have given their time to make
it work. We are happy to have this
chance to share with the families of
Multnomah County, and to be part
ners with these wonderful volunteer
dentists and an organization like the
Northwest Medical Teams," said
June Sell-Sherer, a Tribal Council
member and trustee of the Spirit
Mountain Community Fund. "How
can children learn if they are in pain?
This is a basic, needed service."
The American Dental Association
recommends that children begin
regular dental visits after their first
birthday. The "growing years"
ages 3-7, are considered to be of ex
treme importance for children and
their developing teeth. Neglect dur
ing youth can spell even more seri
ous dental difficulties further on.
Thus, parents who are unable to at
tain the proper services are in a pre
carious position indeed. But that is
the whole purpose of the Dental Van:
to provide the services and lessons
on good oral hygiene that evades
many families.
The Dental Van serves an esti
mated 350 East Multnomah County
children whose families are unin
sured or unable to pay for dental
care. The program began in the
Reynolds School District in 1998
when Lue Ann Beck, a Multnomah
ESD Nurse at Alder Elementary
School, recognized the limited op
tions available to low-income stu
dents suffering from severe dental
problems. Centennial schools were
added in the 1999-2000 school year
and two other districts, Gresham
Barlow and David Douglas, will be
added this year because of the Com
munity Fund grant.
After a visit from the Dental Van
last spring to Kelly Creek School in
Gresham, Principal Janell Black said:
"I cannot tell you how impressed I
am that a program such as this is
available to children in need, how
easy it was to get one of our students
included, and how amazing these
people are with children who are in
need."
Grant Aids "Healthy Stairt" Pirogiram
New services available for Yamhill County first-time parents.
Thanks to a grant from the Spirit
Mountain Community Fund, all first
time parents in Yamhill County will
be able to acquire services for their
infants in their homes and commu
nities. The grant allows the county to be
gin the New Parent Network, aimed
at providing basic parenting help and
advice to first-time parents who re
quest it. The program recognizes
that the first few years of life are criti
cal in determining a child's future
success. The Tribe's grant-funded
component, Healthy Start, is a piv
otal element that allows the whole
Network to finally come together.
"This is such a basic and effective
way to make sure our children get
off to a good start," said Doug Carlson,
head of the Yamhill County Commis
sion on Children and Families.
"We've been working for eight years
to get this program going. This help
from the Tribes makes it a reality."
The $180,850 grant from the Com
munity Fund will be used along with
$111,778 in county funds to operate
the program for one year. Yamhill
County will be in a good position to
receive state funding for its program
in subsequent years because it will
already have an operation up and
running. The state has set a goal of
having a Healthy Start program in
every county because it has proven
effective in addressing the root
causes of crime, juvenile delinquency
and poor school performance, Carlson
said.
"We have appreciated the support
we've received from West Valley resi
dents as we have worked over the
years to rebuild our Tribe and help
our people," said Kathryn Harrison,
Tribal Council Chair. "This is a way
for us now to share and give back.
We're excited to be part of a program
that provides such a useful service
to new parents facing the big chal
lenge of raising a child."
Yamhill County's Healthy Start
program is unique, Carlson said, be
cause it is the only one in the state
to be universal.
"Parents don't have to meet some
kind of standard for being 'at-risk',"
Carlson said. "Our program recog
nizes that in a day and age when
people often live far away from their
extended families, all first-time par
ents could use advice and support.
This is for all parents who want to
make sure they are doing the right
things for their new baby."
Because the program is both vol
untary and universal, there is no
stigma attached to using the service,
he said. Home visits are tailored to
meet the needs of families and can
last until the child is five years old.
They focus on encouraging positive
parent-child interaction and promot
ing healthy growth and develop
ment. The program links up with a
parent-support service provided free
by community volunteers who make
home visits. Volunteers share infor
mation about such local resources as
the New Moms groups and Tiny Tots
club, as well as parenting and baby
care information.
"I think programs like Health Start
are absolutely critical to maintain a
happy family. This is how we pre
vent child abuse," said Senator Kate
Brown.