MT. GAY — The Logan County Charitable and Educational Foundation Inc. has partnered with Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College to provide free oral health care to children in grades K-12 and pregnant women in southern West Virginia. This project was made possible through a $12,000 grant from West Virginia Grantmakers and funded by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation.

As part of this project, Dental Hygiene and Nursing students will present information via workshops, pamphlets, brochures, videos, posters, and other methods of instruction, regarding the need for good oral hygiene.

"These sessions will emphasize the necessity of good dental care and the health problems that may occur if oral hygiene is neglected," Alderman said.

Dr. Lisa Haddox-Heston, coordinator of the Dental Hygiene program at Southern, supervises students and faculty as they provide free dental services to pregnant women and children.

Southern’s Dental Hygiene and Nursing programs are nationally accredited and continually maintain extremely high pass rates on national licensure examinations. In 2007 the Dental Hygiene graduates had a 100 percent pass rate of first time test takers and the Nursing program had a 96 percent pass rate for first time test takers. Currently, both programs are rated as the best in the state for associate degree programs.

Free preventative oral health services, offered free of charge, are provided by Southern dental hygiene students every Tuesday and Thursday during the academic year. Southern maintains a 2,000 square foot, state-of-the-art dental clinic at Holden, WV that may provide services to twelve patients at a time. Services offered at the clinic include full dental checkups and screenings, cleanings, x-rays, sealants and referrals.

The dental clinic is staffed at all times with a dentist and two licensed dental hygienists. Patients receive excellent care and if follow-up treatment is required the patient is referred to local dentists. Dr. Haddox-Heston works with local dentists to help arrange reduced cost or free dental services to those who need them.

The LCCEF is a member of the WV Grantmakers. The Improving Oral Health grant is sponsored by the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation through the WV Grantmakers.

On hand for the agreement signing were, from left, Logan County Charitable Foundation and Education President Jean Ray, Southern President Joanne Jaeger Tomblin, and Pamela L. Alderman, Dean of Career and Technical Programs at Southern.

"We appreciate this opportunity and are excited to partner with Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College to help meet the needs of children and pregnant women in Logan County with this grant," Ray said.

For more information email lccandefoundation@verizon.net