Dear Friend,

Thank you for being part of the KinderSmile Foundation village! We hope that you and your family are in good health. Your continued support has been truly appreciated!

Since our last Newsletter, we have continued to safely treat our patients in our Dental Homes, while complying with all recommended COVID-19 protocols. Our Dental Homes continue to increase access to oral health education and dental care for our State's most underserved populations. 

Please read on to learn about our charity's expanded efforts of eradicating dental disease across New Jersey. We could not do it without all of you. #ItTakesAVillage

The Latest from KinderSmile Foundation:

Give Kids a Smile Month February 2021

KinderSmile Community Oral Health Centers of Bloomfield, Newark, and Trenton hosted successful Give Kids a Smile events throughout the month of February. This year, due to the coronavirus restrictions, we did not host our traditional GKAS Day health fairs. Instead, we honored Children's Dental Health Month throughout February. KinderSmile Foundation donated $143,457 of dental care through our GKAS 2021 events, providing free dental care to 391 at-risk children! Thank you to our staff and volunteers! We are grateful to the ADA, Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, and Liberty Dental for their support and product donations.

KinderSmile Community Oral Health Centers

Bloomfield, Newark, and Trenton

KSCOHC Bloomfield has continued to provide access to care to thousands of at-risk youth in Essex county and vicinity, providing a link to one of the only Dental Home in the area where uninsured children and perinatal mothers could get free or affordable care. We are grateful to the Delta Dental of NJ Foundation, Partners for Health Foundation, The Montclair Foundation, and Investors Foundation for their continued support!

KSCOHC Newark, located at The Boys and Girls Club of Newark, has reopened its doors to Club members and the community, and had been thriving, providing care to underserved youth. We thank Delta Dental of NJ Foundation, and The MCJ Amelior Foundation for supporting this Dental Home.

Since opening its doors in the Fall of 2020, KSCOHC Trenton has been providing quality comprehensive dental care for underserved and uninsured adults and children alike. With over 85,000 residents, where 63% of children are insured by Medicaid/NJ FamilyCare, and many are entirely uninsured, Trenton is designated as medically underserved. We are grateful to The George H. and Estelle M. Sands Foundation, The Princeton Area Community Foundation, I Am Trenton, The Smith Family Foundation, NJM Insurance Group, Janssen Pharmaceuticals, and First Bank Foundation for their support of our Trenton Dental Home. We extend a special appreciation to Deborah Sands Gartenberg. Thank you! 

KinderSmile Foundation continues to maintain all recommended guidelines set forth by the ADA, CDC, and the State of New Jersey. The health and safety of our staff, volunteers, patients, and community is our priority. We appreciate The Princeton Area Community Foundation for sponsoring our increased costs of PPE and infection control supplies due to the coronavirus pandemic into 2021. Thank you!

Introduction to Dental Assisting

In partnership with Mercer County Community College we have developed a brand new Dental Assisting Program. Students will be conducting their clinical rotations at KinderSmile Community Oral Health Center Trenton, gaining knowledge and practice in patient care. This program will enable Mercer County residents to enter the dental field, further developing the Trenton workforce.

Smiling in the Community

KinderSmile Foundation was founded in the community and for the community, and after the COVID-19 hiatus, we are excited to return to our partners for some spring semester school visits! Thank you to Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, AAPD Foundation, and Partners for Health Foundation for supporting KinderSmile Oral Health Program.

KSOHP Trenton Coordinator Tammy Demko, RDH has been promoting our programs via Zoom calls and at tabling events at Trenton's Farmers Market and Trenton Public Library, in order to increase awareness and entice participation.

With the help of Gabby Cevallos, and support from PACF Fund for Women and Girls and The Ellen and Albert Stark Foundation, we are thrilled to expand our Perinatal Health and Wellness Program to the Trenton community. Our Perinatal Health and Wellness Program, now in its 4th year, breaks the dangerous cycle of untreated dental diseases by empowering uninsured pregnant and recently postpartum women with informative, personal, culturally-sensitive training about the importance of maternal oral health and its impact on the developing fetus and young children under the mother’s care. Graduates of the training program earn a full year of free dental care to restore full functionality and painlessness. 

KinderSmile Foundation's partnership with Middlesex County College Dental Hygiene Program enables dental hygiene students to perfect their skills while helping to serve the uninsured community. Starting in February 2021, four dental hygiene students, along with a faculty member, provide dental care at KSCOHC Trenton weekly on Wednesdays & Fridays.

We are grateful to The Healthcare Foundation of New Jersey and the New Jersey Council on Developmental Disabilities for supporting our Special Smiles program. Children with special needs endure greater barriers to accessing care, and are at greater risk for dental diseases. KSOHP Special Smiles provides oral health education and preventive dental care to hundreds of developmentally disabled students and their caretakers, while promoting the importance of routine, self-determination, and competency in oral hygiene and nutritional habits. The program integrates a link to a dental home where quality dental care can be continued if needed. In 2020, despite limited offsite school visits due to the coronavirus pandemic, we established Tooth Brushing Stations for 351 children, and trained dozens of school aides virtually, via a newly developed slideshow and instructional program.

Our Programs and Volunteer Opportunities

KinderSmile Community Service Learning Program perseveres. In addition to shadowing and assisting providers and staff, our volunteers greet our patients, screen for COVID-19 symptoms, and ensure that all newly implemented protocols are followed. Thank you for being a crucial part of our team, we appreciate all that you do!

Thank you to our amazing CSLP volunteers Allison, Aryeh, Cristaly, Eman, Emilie, Fatima, Hecybel, Imani, Maitri, Michael, Otto, Priya, Priyanka, Rinal, Sanjana, and Zeynep for being a part of our team!

"I am so grateful for the opportunity to volunteer at the Foundation, especially want to thank you for the time you took out of your busy schedule to teach me about dentistry. I have known for some time that I wanted to pursue dentistry, and you have further motivated me to pursue my passion to my fullest potential. Thank you for the countless procedures you explained to me and taking the time to get to know me personally."

- CSLP Student Karan

"We wanted to sincerely thank you for the opportunity to volunteer alongside the KinderSmile team in Bloomfield. We valued getting to know members of the KinderSmile team, and members of the KinderSmile community. This experience has been both educational and memorable for us, and we would love to continue volunteering with the KinderSmile team."

- CSLP Students Jennifer and Mark

Registered Dental Hygienist Melka Argaw, and Dr. Lucia Arias volunteer their time and professional talent, and treat uninsured patients at KinderSmile Community Oral Health Centers Bloomfield and Trenton, as part of our Give Back a Smile Program. Thank you!

Congratulations to the following CSLP student volunteers

for their recent dental school acceptances:

Imani Armour, The University of Maryland School of Dentistry

Anisha Patel, Touro College of Dental Medicine

Andrew Chen, University of California San Francisco School of Dentistry

Tushar Thummar, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine

Good luck! We are proud of you!

KSOHP - KinderSmile Oral Health Program
Bringing oral health education and preventive dental care to schools & community events
PHWP - Perinatal Health & Wellness Program
Promoting maternal oral health and dental care during pregnancy and early childhood
CSLP - Community Service Learning Program
Youth mentorship through volunteer work & internships
GBAS - Give Back A Smile
Volunteer opportunities for dental professionals

This spring, we count our blessings, as we are still standing tall at the conclusion of a full year of a global pandemic. Economic and racial disparities in our society have been brought to the forefront by the pandemic and social unrest. We are truly grateful to our donors, grantors, volunteers, and friends who are all part of the KinderSmile Foundation "village." 

Thank you for helping us achieve our mission to provide access to oral health care and ensure that every child has access to a dentist! Together, we can work towards eradicating preventable dental disease. We couldn't do it without all of you!

Blessings,

Nicole McGrath-Barnes, DDS, FACD

Founder & CEO

KinderSmile Foundation

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