2012 Request for Proposals to Expand Oral Health Announced
Marshall University School of Medicine announces release of request for proposals to expand oral health services to children in school settings. Grants proposals are currently being accepted to support school-community oral health partnerships that will provide preventive services to children throughout West Virginia. The grant application deadline is March 21, 2012. Download Grant Application (MS Word) -- Download Grant Application (PDF).
State Oral Health Plan Released
The West Virginia Bureau for Public Health has released the
West Virginia Oral Health Plan for 2010-2015. The plan, a
collaborative effort by many individuals and organizations,
identifies seven objectives:
1. Strengthen West Virginia’s state-level infrastructure and
capacity to improve the oral health of its citizens.
2. Develop a financing strategy for oral health services and
implementation of the state plan recommendations.
3. Promote oral health across the lifespan.
4. Strengthen and improve the dental health workforce.
5. Invest in community prevention.
6. Strengthen the role of West Virginia’s schools in promoting
the oral health of students.
7. Maintain, evaluate, and monitor state plan implementation.
Chomping for Good Dental Care
Some students from Mylan Park Elementary School boarded a bus in the middle of the day for a field trip - to the dentist. The children are part of a pilot project - called Children with Healthy Oral Cavities Morgantown Program (CHOMP) - with the WVU School of Dentistry. Read more in this Dominion Post article.
$500K in Grant Money Available for WV Children's Oral Health
The Appalachian Regional Commission and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation have collaborated to fund a $500,000 grant for children’s oral health in West Virginia. The purpose of this grant is to increase access to preventive dental services for youth in West Virginia through school–community partnerships. Funding from these agencies will be used to support schools and their local communities to provide preventive services for needy children. It will be managed by the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University. This is the second and final round of funding for this project.
Read/Hear West Virginia Public Broadcasting Report
Free CE Oral Health Course Available
Over
the past several months the West Virginia Oral Health Coalition
has been collaborating on a project to strengthen the knowledge of
oral health as it pertains to the Head Start population and the
young children of West Virginia. This effort resulted in the
development of a self-paced, continuing education program for the
dental team, medical team and Head Start staff. The CE course is
free and is approved for nurses, social workers, dentists, dental
hygienists as well as dental assistants. To take advantage of this
opportunity, all you need to do is simply read the CE course
entitled “Oral
Health in West Virginia Head Start and Early Head Start Children,“
complete the test at the end, and mail the answer sheet to the
address listed. Please share this link with others that might
benefit from participating in the course. (Note: The material
says the deadline for CE credit is !2/31/09. The deadline has
been extended.)
The West Virginia Oral Health Coalition is funded by a generous grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.