NYSDF Chooses Three Winners of its 2010 Give Kids a Smile Award.
Green Chimneys Dental Clinic (Brewster) – Nominated by the Putnam County Department of Health, Green
Chimneys Dental Clinic provides innovative and caring services for children and their families. It targets its services
at restoring and strengthening the emotional health and well-being of children and families, as well as fostering
optimal functioning and independence. The agency serves children and adults with a variety of challenges from New
York City, the mid-Hudson region, Westchester and Putnam counties, and the counties of western Connecticut. All
of the children attending Green Chimney’s various programs visit the dental clinic as part of a comprehensive
medical evaluation. One dentist, Dr. Roderick MacRae, oversees all the dental evaluations. The clinic, open two
mornings a week, is a one-chair office that is Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Organizations
compliant. All phases of dental care are provided, including routine assessment and care, preventive assessment
and care, as well as overall education on the importance of good oral health. Each year, between 500-660 children
are treated. Green Chimneys will use its $5,000 NYSDF GKAS Award to make upgrades to the present dental
facility, add oral hygiene resource material to be used in the Health and Wellness Center, and in the classrooms
and invest in educational materials for the families or caregivers of the children so that the message of the
importance of dental health stays with the child and family even after they are discharged from Green Chimneys.
Gundlah Dental Center at Olean General Hospital (Olean) - The Gundlah Dental Center at Olean General
Hospital opened in 2006 to serve people without access to dental care in Cattaraugus County and surrounding
communities. In that same year, Cattaraugus County was named a low-income Dental Health Professional Shortage
Area by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Indeed, a 2005 a county Community Health Assessment
found that many children and adults in the region had never seen a dentist and many families did not “own a single
toothbrush.” During the dental center’s first year, patient volume grew an average of 275 new patients per month.
The dental center expanded twice, adding two dental operatories in 2008 to the original four and another five dental
operatories in 2009. Demand at the Gundlah Dental Center continues to increase; the center ended 2009 with a
patient volume of 15,323 visits, an average of 1,277 patients per month. The average new patient volume is 235
patients per month. The dental center serves an average of 2,760 children between the ages of 2 and 16 each
year. Each patient receives detailed instructions on oral hygiene and a toothbrush, dental floss and toothpaste.
Gundlah Dental Center is a state of the art facility which annually conducts dental health education and outreach
programs at local schools, day care centers and pre-school programs. The center’s education program includes a
train-the-trainer component, whereby teachers learn how to offer lessons on dental health and the importance of
oral hygiene, fostering long-term sustainability of oral education efforts in the schools. Gundlah plans to use its
NYSDF GKAS Award to purchase teaching aids and expand its prevention and outreach efforts for children. The
center will set up dental clinics in low-income areas and offer oral education, sealants and fluoride treatments to
disadvantaged children. Each child will also receive oral education literature, a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental
floss.
Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends School-Based Health Program (Delancey) – The Healthy Smiles, Happy
Friends school based oral health program is a true partnership effort, and serves as a viable model for meeting
many of the current challenges facing children and dental health. Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends operates within the
Bassett Healthcare System with its headquarters at Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. Through the efforts
of Bassett and the surrounding school districts, school based health clinics have been placed in each elementary
school within the expansive Bassett system. The members of this partnership include the Bassett Healthcare team of
pediatricians, dental hygienists and support staff who have organized this innovative wellness program; school
superintendents and Board of Education members who have approved the placement and maintenance of these
clinics in their facilities; dental professionals who oversee the program and coordinate billing of services through the
current Medicaid system. By placing these clinics within the schools, we address the challenge of providing access
to care. In the past year, Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends has added a third registered dental hygienist to
complement its current team serving 12 school-based health centers, 15 schools covering three counties and
reaching 6,000 students. It provides innovative education programs, dental screenings and preventative oral health
services to students in grades K-12. The organization continues to include concepts such as tele-dentistry in its
long term planning in order to improve outcomes with regard to childhood caries in the rural communities it serves.
With its NYSDF GKAS Award, Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends plans to educate and train pediatric healthcare staff
within the Bassett system on caries risk assessment and the application of fluoride varnish in the well child visit.
Green Chimneys Dental Clinic (Brewster) – Nominated by the Putnam County Department of Health, Green
Chimneys Dental Clinic provides innovative and caring services for children and their families. It targets its services
at restoring and strengthening the emotional health and well-being of children and families, as well as fostering
optimal functioning and independence. The agency serves children and adults with a variety of challenges from New
York City, the mid-Hudson region, Westchester and Putnam counties, and the counties of western Connecticut. All
of the children attending Green Chimney’s various programs visit the dental clinic as part of a comprehensive
medical evaluation. One dentist, Dr. Roderick MacRae, oversees all the dental evaluations. The clinic, open two
mornings a week, is a one-chair office that is Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Health Organizations
compliant. All phases of dental care are provided, including routine assessment and care, preventive assessment
and care, as well as overall education on the importance of good oral health. Each year, between 500-660 children
are treated. Green Chimneys will use its $5,000 NYSDF GKAS Award to make upgrades to the present dental
facility, add oral hygiene resource material to be used in the Health and Wellness Center, and in the classrooms
and invest in educational materials for the families or caregivers of the children so that the message of the
importance of dental health stays with the child and family even after they are discharged from Green Chimneys.
Gundlah Dental Center at Olean General Hospital (Olean) - The Gundlah Dental Center at Olean General
Hospital opened in 2006 to serve people without access to dental care in Cattaraugus County and surrounding
communities. In that same year, Cattaraugus County was named a low-income Dental Health Professional Shortage
Area by the US Department of Health and Human Services. Indeed, a 2005 a county Community Health Assessment
found that many children and adults in the region had never seen a dentist and many families did not “own a single
toothbrush.” During the dental center’s first year, patient volume grew an average of 275 new patients per month.
The dental center expanded twice, adding two dental operatories in 2008 to the original four and another five dental
operatories in 2009. Demand at the Gundlah Dental Center continues to increase; the center ended 2009 with a
patient volume of 15,323 visits, an average of 1,277 patients per month. The average new patient volume is 235
patients per month. The dental center serves an average of 2,760 children between the ages of 2 and 16 each
year. Each patient receives detailed instructions on oral hygiene and a toothbrush, dental floss and toothpaste.
Gundlah Dental Center is a state of the art facility which annually conducts dental health education and outreach
programs at local schools, day care centers and pre-school programs. The center’s education program includes a
train-the-trainer component, whereby teachers learn how to offer lessons on dental health and the importance of
oral hygiene, fostering long-term sustainability of oral education efforts in the schools. Gundlah plans to use its
NYSDF GKAS Award to purchase teaching aids and expand its prevention and outreach efforts for children. The
center will set up dental clinics in low-income areas and offer oral education, sealants and fluoride treatments to
disadvantaged children. Each child will also receive oral education literature, a toothbrush, toothpaste and dental
floss.
Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends School-Based Health Program (Delancey) – The Healthy Smiles, Happy
Friends school based oral health program is a true partnership effort, and serves as a viable model for meeting
many of the current challenges facing children and dental health. Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends operates within the
Bassett Healthcare System with its headquarters at Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown. Through the efforts
of Bassett and the surrounding school districts, school based health clinics have been placed in each elementary
school within the expansive Bassett system. The members of this partnership include the Bassett Healthcare team of
pediatricians, dental hygienists and support staff who have organized this innovative wellness program; school
superintendents and Board of Education members who have approved the placement and maintenance of these
clinics in their facilities; dental professionals who oversee the program and coordinate billing of services through the
current Medicaid system. By placing these clinics within the schools, we address the challenge of providing access
to care. In the past year, Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends has added a third registered dental hygienist to
complement its current team serving 12 school-based health centers, 15 schools covering three counties and
reaching 6,000 students. It provides innovative education programs, dental screenings and preventative oral health
services to students in grades K-12. The organization continues to include concepts such as tele-dentistry in its
long term planning in order to improve outcomes with regard to childhood caries in the rural communities it serves.
With its NYSDF GKAS Award, Healthy Smiles, Happy Friends plans to educate and train pediatric healthcare staff
within the Bassett system on caries risk assessment and the application of fluoride varnish in the well child visit.
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20 Corporate Woods Blvd., Suite 602
Albany, New York 12211
ph: 518-465-0044
fax: 518-465-3219
alt: 800-255-2100
nysdf@nysdental.org
Terms and Conditions / Privacy Policy
Albany, New York 12211
ph: 518-465-0044
fax: 518-465-3219
alt: 800-255-2100
nysdf@nysdental.org
Terms and Conditions / Privacy Policy
