Seven Valleys Health Coalition this week received a 2019 GKAS Award from the New York State Dental Foundation. Included in this award is $4,800 to support the Mighty Molar Program expand its reach to include expectant parents and newborns. 

Mighty Molar is more than an educational program for elementary school children and community members; Mighty Molar is a 6 foot tall smiling cartoon character who helps make learning about good oral hygiene a fun and memorable experience. Sometimes accompanying Mighty Molar is Murray the Toothbrush. Together, they attend community events and are featured in skits and other educational programs we bring to local elementary schools, day cares, and Head Start programs. Kids learn about healthy foods, how to brush their teeth, and tooth safety. SVHC staff, community members, senior volunteers, and SUNY Cortland students are all involved in sharing the message that teeth are meant to last a lifetime.

Anne A. Withers, Child Care Resource & Referral Program Director for the United Way Child Development Council, says “Expanding the outreach of the Mighty Molar Program is an excellent next step for oral health outreach in Cortland County.”
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​The GKAS Award will be used to create dental health record and education booklets to be given to new and expecting parents. The goal of the booklets is to help parents keep track of their child’s dental health record, receive helpful dental health quick facts, have a list of local dentists and a timeline of when a child should receive treatments such as fluoride varnish or dental sealants. 

The Foundation is now accepting applications, due 10 August 2019, for the 2020 GKAS awards.
The GKAS Award recognizes an organization’s ability to build, expand or enhance education, access and/or capacity with respect to oral health care for children.
 
Winning applicants will receive up to $5,000, as determined by the NYSDF Board of Trustees. Winners will be announced at the end of the year.
 
Nominated community health centers or service programs must answer the following questions:
 

• How is your organization setting higher standards of oral health care and quality to better meet the challenges of the future?
• How are you driving innovation in oral health care deliver?
• How is your program improving oral health outcomes within our communities?
• What are you doing to move New York State in new directions to meet the oral health care needs of children?
• How does your program target education, screening and prevention, and access?
• How does your programming expand current capacity?

 
Nominators must complete the attached form, which includes a written statement and letters of support from a local public health organization.
 
All nominations must include a written statement of no more than one page detailing why the nominee should receive the award, including an explanation of HOW the nominee meets the criteria to merit recognition and HOW the nominee will use any GKAS Award funding.
 
All nominations must include a statement indicating why the nominator has chosen to seek award funding from the New York State Dental Foundation.
 
Once-a-year activities are NOT eligible for GKAS Award consideration.
 
All GKAS Award recipients MUST include NYS Dental Foundation logo and references in all promotional and press materials related to the activities for which they are receiving the GKAS Award. 

Click here for forms.

​Did you know that the major cause of oropharyngeal cancer (OPC), the Human Papilloma Virus type 16 and 18, are included in the HPV vaccine? HPV causes about 70% of current cases of head and neck cancer.  While oropharyngeal cancer screening is essential don’t’ miss an opportunity to prevent oropharyngeal cancer in your patients. The New York State Dental Foundation and NYSDA have partnered with the NYS HPV Coalition to increase awareness about the HPV vaccine to prevent oral cancer.
 
Let parents know that you strongly support HPV vaccination as prevention of cancer.  The vaccine gives the best immune response when given before the 13th birthday for both boys and girls but can be given to others as well.  There are more OPC cases than cervical cancer cases now. According to the CDC, each year there are 12,900 new cases of Oropharyngeal cancer and 10,800 new cervical cancer cases.  The reduction in cervical cancer is a result of the HPV immunization program for females beginning over a decade ago and within a short time we have the power to see similar results with OPC.
 
Make sure all staff in the office can answer questions about HPV vaccine with science based answers.  Refer to the patients primary care provider or the local health department.  By having primary care, dental care, and the health department work towards increasing the HPV vaccination rate, we will be able to prevent OPC’s well into the future.
 
For more information, click on the links below:
 
http://hpvroundtable.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/DENTAL-Action-Guide-WEB.pdf
https://www.aap.org/en-us/Documents/AAP_OPC_HPV_5KeyPoints_final.pdf
https://www.cdc.gov/hpv/index.html
 

​​They say one person can make a difference and this event started with a dentist in California, Dr. Karin Irani, who learned that the only Veterans who received VA dental benefits were those who had a 100% disability or a dental related disability.  Because she knew many veterans were falling through the cracks and unable to get dental care, she opened her office for a day around Veterans Day to provide that dental care at no cost.  Soon her local dental association endorsed it, then the California Dental Association and then the American Dental Association.  It has now spread across the country and this is our third year in New York State and our local dental association the Ninth District Dental Association who is the local component of the American Dental Association-the voice and guardian for America’s dental health-is very grateful for Touro Dental Health to open its wonderful facility to the Veterans today.

​The New York State Department of Health-AIDS Institute Oral Health Resource Center in collaboration with the Northeast/Caribbean AETC offers a unique chance to participate in an HIV Oral Health Preceptorship Program.
 
HIV Oral Health Preceptorships are available for dentists, dental hygienists and primary care clinicians in New York, New Jersey and the Caribbean. These programs are individually tailored to meet the needs, interests and experience-level of the individual provider. Typical sessions are from one to five days and are available for the person with no or very little HIV experience, to those looking for a more detailed clinical experience in an HIV Primary Care Center, or discovering oral pathology. Preceptorship sites are in multiple locations and the actual location will depend on the level of the preceptorship program selected for the applicant following assessment with our Program Director. Tuition for the program is fully covered by a grant from Health Resource and Service Administration (HRSA) and nationally accredited continuing education credits are available from the NYS Dental Foundation and the Dental Hygiene Association of the State of NY.
 
For further information or to register, contact one of the following:
Howard Lavigne, Program Consultant, at 315-247-2998 or howard.lavigne2@gmail.com  
Laura O’Shea, Program Coordinator, at 315-477-8124 or laura.oshea@health.ny.gov