Louise Stott of Alexandria tried to translate instructions into Creole to her five year-old, Emily Michena Sylvain, as Emily received an oral x-ray. Emily's brother, Michael Rolando Sylvain, 9, watched through a crack in the open door, smiling and waiting for his turn. It was the first time Stott’s three foster children saw a dentist since arriving in the country from Haiti a year ago.
On January 7, Stott’s three foster children along with 13 other children from around the Bristol area, received free dental care by the Molar Express, a full-time mobile dental clinic from Whitefield. Through support from the Northeast Delta Dental Foundation, the New Hampshire Dental Society commissioned the clinic to help close barriers to access for dental care in the area.
“There is difficulty finding dentists for children in that area,” said Jim Williamson, executive director at the New Hampshire Dental Society.
The three foster children are covered under Healthy Kids Medicaid, but the nearest dentist they would visit who accepts the Medicaid coverage is in Concord, Stott said.
“It takes better part of half-a-day,” Stott said about meeting an appointment for just one child in Concord.
“We only have one vehicle for three drivers,” she said. Their vehicle has been operating on a spare tire for nearly two months and it needs work on the exhaust before she is comfortable driving it long distances, she said.
According to a January 2010 report by the New Hampshire Center for Public Policy Studies, only 34% of children enrolled in Medicaid accessed a dentist in Grafton County, despite the number of dentists per residents in the county is among the highest in the state. The state average for enrolled children accessing dental care is 68%. The study does not account for Grafton County residents seeking treatment outside the county.
Prior to visiting the mobile clinic, a hygienist went into area schools to clean students' teeth and identify children with the most immediate need for further dental treatment. Stott said she received a newsletter from the school notifying her that her children would benefit from the program.
“This is great. I wish they’d do this all the time,” Stott said.
1 comments:
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