Horizon Foundation Helps RSDM Provide More Care to Underserved Children
Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) will provide screenings, oral healthcare education and dental sealants to about 1,000 underserved school children from Essex County, thanks to funding from the Horizon Foundation for New Jersey.
The foundation is giving RSDM a grant of $62,500, which will be used in part to pay for bus transportation from schools to the RSDM clinic in Newark, where children will be provided with free dental screenings, oral health instructions and dental sealants, which are applied to the teeth to prevent cavities. The funding is part of Horizon’s Kids’ Oral Health Program, which supplies monies to school and community-based programs statewide.
“One of the big obstacles to children coming here for care is transportation,’’ said Dr. Glenn Rosivack, Interim Chair of the Pediatric Dentistry Department at RSDM. “The parents are working and unable to take time off to bring their child in for care.”
With one in four children from low-income families suffering from untreated tooth decay -- twice the rate of children from higher-income households -- Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) is intensifying its efforts to bring brighter smiles to those children.
A shortage of dentists and family financial constraints are among the chief obstacles preventing children in lower-income families from getting the dental care they need. When ignored, common dental problems in children can have costly and substantial long-term consequences. Untreated dental disease impairs a child’s ability to eat, sleep, and function well at home and at school and can also adversely impact a child’s self-esteem and social development.
Horizon BCBSNJ created the Kids’ Oral Health Program (KOHP) in 2016 to help address these obstacles and provided $500,000 in grants to non-profit organizations that brought dental care and education programs to New Jersey communities shown to have the greatest need.
”Where children live should never prevent them from getting the care they need, whether that care is delivered by a pediatrician, dentist or another health professional,” said Joseph Albano, Vice President of Horizon BCBSNJ’s Commercial and Specialty Markets, which includes the company’s dental business of more than one million members.
About Rutgers School of Dental Medicine
Founded in 1956, Rutgers School of Dental Medicine (RSDM) is New Jersey's only dental school, encompassing student education, community service, research and patient care. RSDM, the state’s largest oral health care provider, logs more than 120,000 patient visits a year, treating many who are underserved. It has one of the only clinics in the region focusing on special needs dentistry for patients with disabilities. At student clinics in Newark and South Jersey, affordable care is overseen by faculty dentists and specialists who are leaders in their field. At RSDM’s faculty practice, Rutgers Health University Dental Associates, faculty offer treatment directly to patients in a private-practice setting at offices in Newark and New Brunswick and Newark.
About The Horizon Foundation For New Jersey
The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey is committed to working alongside those who can help us improve our neighbors’ health, inform their health decisions and inspire them to lead healthier, more fulfilling lives. The Foundation’s funding pillars are Caring, Connecting and Creating. Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey is the sole member of The Horizon Foundation for New Jersey, both of which are independent licensees of the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Association. For more information please visit www.Horizonblue.com/Foundation
For more information, contact Carrie Stetler at cjs281@sdm.rutgers.edu.
