5,001 Reasons to Smile!

It was 16 years in the making and took the efforts of hundreds of dentists, funders, volunteers, and organizations that serve kids and families.

This week, we met Javier, the 5,000th child to receive free dental care as part of our 16th annual Give Kids a Smile Event. Javier and his mom called PCCY’s phone bank earlier this month and booked an appointment at Penn Dental Medicine’s Pediatric Clinic, one of 28 participating practices in the region.

To be honest, 10-year-old Javier was smiling from ear to ear as he walked in the door, but his smile grew even bigger when he received a bag of Minecraft toys and an impromptu tour of historic portraits and artifacts adorning the Dean’s office. “He loves history,” his mom explained. “He’s having an amazing day!”

While we were thrilled to celebrate such an impressive milestone of service with Javier, the greater truth behind the number lends a decidedly more sobering tone. The need for dental services for 5,000 children were only met because local dentists partnered with PCCY. And while we reached nearly 700 children just this year, over a hundred more had to be placed on a waiting list. Thanks to the generosity of our dentists, we were able to find extra slots for some; we referred others to excellent low-cost care.      

Speaking of generosity, we would be remiss if we didn’t acknowlege the Foundation for Delaware County, our newest Smile funders. Thanks to the Foundation for Delaware County, nearly 25% of all the children who received free dental appointments were from Delaware County.

Approximately 36,000 children in Southeast Pennsylvania and many more across the Commonwealth are uninsured, underinsured, or cannot access the basic health care services they need, including dental care. That’s why PCCY has been working to address this issue by organizing a week-long free dental care event in partnership with dental practices throughout the region. Smile is part of our advocacy mission to make sure every child in the state has access to health insurance.

But Give Kids A Smile is as much about kids getting good dental care as it is about helping parents of uninsured kids apply for health insurance so they get the care they need when they need it. Medicaid and CHIP cover dental care—and almost every PA child is eligible for one of these programs. But under state law, undocumented children are not eligible, a tragic oversight that undercuts the core public health strategy behind “Cover All Kids”, let alone betrays our moral obligation to protect children.

Preliminary data from this year’s event shows that two-thirds of the 687 children who received appointments had no insurance. All were referred to PCCY’s Child Healthwatch Helpline, our year-round hotline that helps parents find insurance coverage for their kids.

While we remain deeply concerned about the thousands of uninsured children in the region, we are celebrating the progress we’ve made, especially as our Dream Care Campaign continues to grow in number of member organizations. 

This week we’re adding one more reason to smile: On Tuesday, our Health Policy Director Colleen McCauley received the College of Physicians of Philadelphia’s 2019 Public Health Organization of the Year award on behalf of PCCY for our work to eradicate childhood lead poisoning. 

So there you have it. 5,001 reasons to smile. We thank all of our supporters, allies, and partners, for making each one possible.

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THANKS TO OUR LOCAL DENTISTS!
BUCKS COUNTY
M.J. Rosen DDS PC

DELAWARE COUNTY
Smile City Dentistry
Chester Smiles
Gentle Dental Collingdale
Dream Smile Dental
Broomall Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics
Civillico Family Dentistry
Eagle Crest Pediatric Dentistry
Kevin Kilcoyne
Children’s Dental Health of Springfield

MONTGOMERY COUNTY
Joy Dental
Children’s Dental Health of Plymouth Meeting

ФИЛАДЕЛЬФИЯ
Doc Breslers’ Cavity Busters
Nicholas Cosmetic Dental Center
John Del Gaiso, PC Pediatric Dental Team
Delisi Dental
A-1 Family Dental Care
Kids Smiles (Market Street)
Kids Smiles (Island Avenue)
Health Center #3
Health Center #4
Health Center #5
Philadelphia Dental
Pediatric Dental Associates – Allegheny
iSmile Dental Group
Penn Dental Department of Pediatrics
Dental First
Penn Dental Medicine at Sayre

OUR FUNDERS
Foundation for Delaware County, Pennsylvania Oral Health Coalition, Mendoza Group, and Philadelphia Health Partnership

Special thanks to:
*School districts, school nurses, and community-based organizations that helped promote the event
*Our 107 indispensable volunteers!
*DentaQuest, who donated the toothbrushes for every child
*2019 Give Kids A Smile Coordinator, Ann Bacharach!