Santa Rosa Beach - With the generous help of local dentists who donate appointments, CVHN has been able so far to meet the emergency dental needs of uninsured kids in our area. Yet, there is a problem. These kids are not getting preventive care and so their dental problems progress to emergencies. In fact, dental decay is the single most common chronic childhood disease, according to the 2000 Surgeon General’s report on oral health in America.
To change the tide, the CVHN Board developed the idea of initiating a mobile dental clinic that would provide preventive care to qualified children and transition them from expensive, painful emergency dental care to cost-effective preventive care, allowing these kids to grow up with a mouthful of healthy teeth and remain effective students.
This fall, the Just for Grins Mobile Dental Clinic will begin by providing Walton County children on the free or reduced lunch programs in grades K-3 dental exams, x-rays, cleaning, fluoride treatment and sealants. CVHN recently took another big step along the road to providing this dental care. On June 2, Denise Johnston joined the CVHN team. Denise is the Just for Grins Mobile Dental Clinic Program Manager and will be taking her time this summer to make sure that “Big Blue,” the CVHN mobile clinic, is open and ready for the business of seeing children this fall when school begins.
Denise is a Registered Dental Hygienist and long-time resident of the Emerald Coast area, having moved to Fort Walton Beach in the early 1970’s. She is a graduate of Choctawhatchee High School and holds an A.S. degree in dental hygiene from Pensacola Junior College. She has been a practicing dental hygienist for over twenty-five years and is also active in her church’s youth ministry. She has a passion for working with kids.
“I’m very excited to be joining the Children’s Volunteer Health Network as the mobile dental clinic program manager. I’m looking forward to my involvement with the “Just for Grins” program, and serving the school children in our area,” Denise recently commented. Executive Director Mary Konovsky noted that “we are very glad to have Denise join us. Her talent and experience will ensure that the first CVHN mobile dental clinic will provide superior services to those children in our area who are not able to afford regular dental care.”
Children’s Volunteer Health Network, Inc., HEALTHY HAPPY KIDS, is a faith-based 501(c)3 organization established in 2005 whose mission is to enhance the lives of uninsured and underinsured school-aged children by facilitating free, immediate access to medical, dental and mental health care. For more information about CVHN and the Just for Grins program, visit the CVHN website at www.cvhnkids.org or call us at 622-3200.
