December 20, 2000
Adopt-a-Smile brightens dental care for children
By Lisa Perkins
Herald Staff Writer
There is more than one way to bring a bright smile to the face of a child this holiday season.
The Grand Traverse County Family Independence Agency is again sponsoring an "Adopt-a-Smile" tree to help provide needed dental care to low-income children. Toothbrushes, labeled with the name of a child in need, make up the ornaments on the tree.
Each $18 donation will allow one child to receive preventative dental care. The donation makes up the difference between the actual cost of a routine checkup and the rate of Medicaid reimbursement.
Though off to a slow start, Robert Porter, director of the Grand Traverse Family Independence Agency, is hoping they can at least match the nearly $3,000 they collected through this program last year. That represents 155 children who were able to receive much needed dental treatment.
"This is a great collaborative venture for the community through this dental clinic," said Deanna Kelly, Personal Health Administrator for the Grand Traverse County Health Department, "we are also able to service kids who are uninsured."
Low Medicaid reimbursement rates have caused the local dental clinic to struggle since its opening in 1995. While the clinic has received grant money, it is not earmarked for the treatment of patients, but rather for equipment. The county has helped offset costs, however, nearly half of the eligible children in Grand Traverse County are still unable to receive dental care.
Porter hopes that individuals and local businesses will remember the "Adopt-a-Smile" program when they are looking for a local cause to support.
"If the local Medicaid dental office closes down, Medicaid dental care will cease to exist in northern Michigan," Porter noted.
For more information on the Adopt-a-Smile program, which runs through the end of the year, contact the Grand Traverse County Health Department at 922-4831 or the Grand Traverse County Family Independence Agency at 941-3900.