Americares & Baxter International Foundation Announce Oral Health Project to Prevent Systemic Health Issues in Low-Income Pat...
November 29 2016 - 11:00AM
Business Wire
Increasing Access to Care by Providing 30
Clinics with Educational Tools to Best Serve Underinsured
Patients
Baxter International Foundation and Americares are launching a
new oral health project to help combat the negative impact poor
oral hygiene can have on patients’ overall health.
The Americares Oral Health Project will give 30 Americares
partner clinics across the United States the capacity to deliver
oral health education to uninsured, underinsured and low-income
patients. Baxter International Foundation is funding the year-long
initiative with a nearly $75,000 grant to Americares, the world’s
leading nonprofit provider of donated medicine and supplies.
A lack of dental care disproportionately affects low-income
individuals’ overall health and socio-economic status; an estimated
164 million work hours are lost each year due to oral disease. In
addition, the Mayo Clinic has found oral health may contribute to
various diseases and conditions like endocarditis, cardiovascular
disease and premature birth.
The Americares Oral Health Project will train partner clinic
staff to integrate oral health education and introduce preventive
measures for dental health issues in a primary care setting. In the
United States, Americares supports a network of 1,000 clinics and
health centers serving 5 million patients in need with medicine,
supplies, education and training.
The new program includes a customized ''Train the Trainer''
webinar series, created in collaboration with the Institute for
Healthcare Advancement, to educate partner clinic staff on how to
integrate basic oral health education materials, including those
designed for patients with low literacy, into primary and dental
care settings. The training sessions will each entail three,
one-hour educational modules accompanied by an oral health
instructional book, ''What to Do for Healthy Teeth'' intended for
children and adults. The book is an easy-to-follow, elementary
guide developed by two dentists covering an extensive range of oral
health topics on how to care for every tooth in adults and for
children from birth to age 18.
''Baxter is steadfast in our commitment to help provide access
to healthcare,'' said Stacey Eisen, president of the Baxter
International Foundation and vice president, global communications
at Baxter. ''Our partnership with Americares and the launch of the
oral health initiative is paving a new avenue that can engage
vulnerable, underserved populations to address issues related to
dental care and, in turn, significantly improve their overall
health.''
The training and educational resources cover a wide range of
oral health topics, including maintaining healthy dental diets and
a course of action to follow if a tooth is lost, and will be
accompanied by basic dental supplies to help incentivize usage.
Clinic training sessions will be recorded and available on
SafetyNetCenter.org – Americares open source library containing
critical capacity-building resources.
''Patients often believe there is a divide between mouth and
body, when evidence shows that oral health affects systemic
health,'' said Lindsay O’Brien, Americares director of U.S.
programs and partnerships. ''We are helping healthcare providers
teach proper dental hygiene and increase patients’ understanding of
the impact it will have on their overall health.''
About Americares
Americares is a health-focused relief and development
organization that responds to people affected by poverty or
disaster with life-changing health programs, medicine and medical
supplies. Each year, Americares reaches more than 90 countries and
all 50 U.S. states with over $600 million in innovative health
programs and quality medical aid. Americares is the world’s leading
nonprofit provider of donated medicine and medical supplies. For
more information, visit www.americares.org.
About Baxter and the Baxter International Foundation
Baxter and the Baxter International Foundation are committed to
saving and sustaining lives and creating healthier communities.
Every day, Baxter employees strive to make a meaningful difference
in the lives of people who depend on Baxter products, and in the
communities where employees live and work. The company focuses on
three core areas including improving access to healthcare;
fostering tomorrow’s innovation and serving its communities. Baxter
works closely with public and private partners around the world to
ensure people have access to the healthcare they need, to develop
the next generation of innovators who will lead the way in
advancing care, and to create long-lasting impact in Baxter’s
communities. The Baxter International Foundation supports
initiatives and organizations that make a positive, lasting impact
on increasing access to healthcare for the disadvantaged and
underserved.
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version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20161129005212/en/
AmericaresDonna Porstner, (203)
658-9579dporstner@americares.orgorBaxterJori Fine, (224)
948-5166media@baxter.com
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