HealthFinders Collaborative brought their dental services to Greenvale Park Elementary School in Northfield in October, allowing for 99 students to receive free dental care without having to leave school.
Over two separate visits, dental hygienists performed dental polishing, flossing, oral health screening, oral education, fluoride treatments, and screening for decay and other potential dental problems.
The services were made possible thanks to a grant from the Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation.
“Since several children at Greenvale don’t have dental insurance, it would be very expensive for them to receive dental care,” says Renae Blome, a collaborative practice dental hygienist and dental program coordinator for HealthFinders Collaborative. “Great partnerships like these help fill needs we have in the community.”
Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation works to expand access to dental care for Minnesota’s underserved populations by primarily investing in programs and organizations that provide dental care to people in need.
Grant funding has allowed for more patients, including students in Faribault schools, to receive care over the past few years. Oftentimes, Greenvale students who go to dental appointments will miss a full day of school, so bringing the clinic to them in a non-disruptive way keeps them in class longer. “A lot of these children have grown with us over the past few years, and they’re excited to be there,” Blome says. “They get excited to pick out their tooth brush, and they seem to enjoy the experience just as much as we enjoy them.” When she asked what the students liked most about their experience, one student said, “HealthFinders’ fluoride tastes much better than at the dentist office.” Since HealthFinders Collaborative is a community-based direct services provider, it often brings its services into places such as schools and public facilities. This can help address some barriers people may face when thinking about going to the dentist, such as access to transportation. “We love what we do,” says Blome. “Going out into the community and providing services for the students is really worthwhile and it does make an impact.” HealthFinders plans to continue providing free dental services, including sealants, to five schools in the Northfield and Faribault communities a couple times every month moving forward.
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