Press Releases: Northwest
February 13, 2004
Kaiser Permanente brightens the smile of 52 kids
PORTLAND, Ore. – More than 50 grade-school children from the Portland area recently received free dental care from volunteer Kaiser Permanente dentists and other staff. The children were treated at Kaiser Permanente's North Interstate Services Building, in north Portland, on Feb. 6 as part of the second annual Give Kids a Smile Day. Organized by the Multnomah County Dental Society, about 200 children citywide were treated.
Kaiser Permanente dentist Kurt Ferre, DDS, helped organized 28 of his colleagues to provide care to the children, some of whom had never been to a dentist. "Like clockwork, the kids rolled off the buses at 9 a.m., and we all went to work," says Dr. Ferre. "At one point, we had nearly 40 children in our waiting area. Fortunately the kids were incredibly patient and fun."
State Senator Margaret Carter, who represents north Portland, visited the dental office to show support for children and volunteers. She visited with staff, and told kids the importance of good dental hygiene. Dr. Ferre also discussed with Sen. Carter the importance of fluoridation. "There are more cavities in kids in cities which don't fluoridate the water. This hurts children from low-income backgrounds who don't have dental insurance especially hard."
Before the children left, they were given free toothbrushes, dental floss and toothpaste. "Kaiser Permanente contributed more than $7,000 in dental supplies toward the children's care, in addition to $17,500 worth of free dental care," says Cal DeCicco, Kaiser Permanente dental office manager.
Kaiser Permanente is a group practice health care organization serving the health care needs of about 440,000 people, and dental care needs of more than 165,000 in Oregon and Southwest Washington.
