Smiles for a Lifetime

A Good Idea

Description

Smiles for a Lifetime offers oral healthcare to children from low-income families. In South Carolina one in three children are in need of dental care, and in areas served by the Smiles for a Lifetime program, more than 75% of children lack oral healthcare. The Smiles program offers care through school-based centers and a weekend center. The program uses corporate partnerships and existing resources to provide dental services that would otherwise be inaccessible. The program uses funds from grants and donations to employ dentists and dental hygienists at centers located in elementary and high schools, dental schools, and community centers.

Goal / Mission

The goal of Smiles for a Lifetime is to make pediatric dental care accessible for all children.

Results / Accomplishments

The Smiles for a Lifetime initiative has received the state Health Alliances Vanguard Award for most innovative healthcare program through the South Carolina Hospital Association. It operates four school-based centers across the state, as well as a weekend center in Charleston serving a tri-county area. During the 2008/2009 school year 3,640 students received dental services at school-based centers. Between January and May 2009, 402 children were served at the weekend center.

About this Promising Practice

Organization(s)
Welvista
Primary Contact
Georgia Famuliner, Smiles for a Lifetime Operations Director
Smiles
PO Box 221
Allendale, SC 29810
(803) 584-4803
gfamuliner@welvista.org
http://www.welvista.org/smiles.php
Topics
Health / Oral Health
Health / Children's Health
Health / Health Care Access & Quality
Organization(s)
Welvista
Date of publication
2009
Date of implementation
1998
Location
South Carolina
For more details
http://www.welvista.org/smiles.php
Target Audience
Children

Related Promising Practices

  1. Oral Health Equity Project
  2. Access to Baby and Child Dentistry (ABCD)
  3. Brevard County Volunteer Dental Clinic
  4. CDC COMMUNITY GUIDE: Early Childhood Development Programs: Comprehensive, Center-Based Programs for Children of Low-Income Families
  5. Healthy Kids Dental
  6. Medicaid Travel of Pediatric Dental Teams

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Related Content for: Smiles for a Lifetime

A Good Idea meets the following HCI criteria:

  1. The program description includes: the sponsoring organization, program goals, program funding source, program implementation steps and outcomes.
  2. The program evaluation is limited to descriptive measure(s) of success/accomplishment (i.e., program participation rates, number of services/education sessions/radio messages provided). Note: oftentimes, the program has been newly implemented and a program evaluation has not yet been conducted. Programs that have not yet been evaluated, but which show promise in improving health or quality of life, are classified as Good Ideas until an evaluation is conducted.