Banner Staff Report

CHARLESTON - West Virginia Governor Joe Manchin and ARC Federal Co-Chair Anne Pope has announced a major initiative to promote children's oral health in West Virginia.

The Appalachian Regional Commission and the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation have collaborated to fund a $500,000 grant for School-Community Partnerships for Children's Oral Health in West Virginia. The program will help establish school-based dental clinics for the children of West Virginia and will be managed by the Robert C. Byrd Center for Rural Health at Marshall University.

The clinics will be targeted at school age youth without access to dental care in the distressed, at-risk, and transitional counties of West Virginia. One of their priorities will be to provide sealants to prevent cavities.

A team from Marshall University will manage the grant's activities, which includes the development of a grant proposal application and selection process for funding school based/linked dental services in West Virginian communities.

Schools, health departments, and rural health centers will be asked to submit proposals that define their plan and the funding needed to implement a program to expand youth access to oral healthcare.

ARC funds will be used to fund the dental equipment requests and Benedum funds will be used for planning and technical assistance.

Approximately 7,500 students per year will be provided with sealants, exams, and/or restorative care as a result of the program.

Governor Joe Manchin welcomed the initiative. "This project is another example of what can happen when people come together to make positive changes for West Virginia. ARC and the Benedum Foundation are true partners, dedicated to improving the state of West Virginia, and I am grateful for their commitment. Quality health care is essential to our citizens' ability to enjoy a good quality of life and is an area that we will continue to work hard to improve."

ARC Federal Co-Chair Anne Pope said, "Nothing could be more important to the future of Appalachia than our children, and they deserve the best health care we can give them. These clinics will help to strengthen a fundamental building block for children's health. Good oral health promotes human development and human development promotes economic development. Healthy workers start with healthy kids, and this program will help our kids to get on the right track."

Beverly Robinson, vice president of the Benedum Foundation, stated that the initiative was "greatly needed to improve W.Va.'s future" and would "remove needless pain and suffering and enhance the potential for an educated and healthy workforce. Our Board of Trustees thanks Governor Manchin and Anne Pope, ARC Federal Co-Chair, for working Foundation."

Senator Robert Byrd said, "Providing accessible dental care to West Virginia's school age children is a vital component in ensuring their overall health and preventing painful dental problems that would undoubtedly distract students from their studies. The clinics will also help instill good dental habits in our state's children and help pave the way for a healthy and productive West Virginia."

Senator Jay Rockefeller said, "A child's smile is precious and warms the heart. Children deserve to start out life being healthy, and that includes seeing a dentist for routine cleanings to prevent cavities. Healthy kids grow into strong adults and this program is incredibly important to making that happen."

Congressman Nick Rahall said, "This program is packed with the kind of preventative measures we need to improve the health of our state. Dental disease is the single most prevalent chronic childhood disease, but it is also almost 100 percent preventable. We need more public-private collaborations of this kind to help bring easily accessible, preventative health care straight to the children who need it most."

A Dental Advisory Committee comprised of representatives from ARC, Benedum, Marshall, and the state of West Virginia will review proposals and select 15-20 projects to be funded by the grant.

The Appalachian Regional Commission is a federal-state partnership that works with the people of Appalachia to create opportunities for self-sustaining economic development and improved quality of life.