Success Stories

On The Road Again: A Tooth Taxi Update

by Mary Daly, Program Manager, Tooth Taxi
Update Number 24 | 6/22/09 | Cornelius and COSA

The Tooth Taxi traveled to Washington County to the Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) site in Cornelius for our second stop on the summer schedule. Volunteer dentists Dr. April Love and Dr. Kurt Ferré kicked off the week on Monday by screening kids and providing treatment. Nicole Hagar, EFDA also joined us Monday to provide cleanings on the younger children. On Wednesday Dr. Kyle Van volunteered for his first stint on the Tooth Taxi.

Tooth Taxi Volunteers @ work

It was also the last week for our assistant Geneva who has returned to her hometown of Albany for other opportunities.

The Tooth Taxi is often parked in the midst of activity. Last week our bright orange cones meshed with those of a construction crew that was leveling off a site for a mobile classroom. On Wednesday the classroom was delivered and put in place. Along with the construction activity we were entertained by a family of domestic rabbits that seemed to have claimed the site grounds as home.

And who needs a wheelchair ramp when you have a former college football player on board as an assistant?

Dr. Tom Davis
James & Tooth Taxi Patient getting a helpful lift

From the kid quote gallery:

What do your folks do? “They watch TV”

A little girl carrying a “strawberry shortcake” blanket asks what kind of toothpaste. “It’s cherry.” She replies, “I don’t like cherry I only like strawberry.”

Cornelius stats:

47 students screened
21 students treated in the van
$11,994 value of free dental services provided.

Summary
Tooth Taxi, September 2008- June 24, 2009

3467 students screened
359 students received oral hygiene education in the classroom
1261 students treated in the van
$$811,189 value of free dental services provided.

On Thursday and Friday I joined Holly Spruance from the OEA Choice Trust at the COSA Conference in Seaside. COSA stands for Confederation of Oregon School Administrators and was founded in 1974. Attendees to the conference were principals, superintendents and central office administrators, about 600 registrants. Our booth promoted the Tooth Taxi and the OEA Choice Trust Wellness Grant Pilot Project “Improving the health and well-being of Oregon school employees through grant making.” Jessica Molay from ODS attended on Thursday with the BodyAge testing equipment which was a hit.

We handed out Tooth Taxi site partner ribbons to schools that we have visited. We also made contacts with “new” schools and gave out Tooth Taxi packets to interested partners. Everyone received free toothpaste. I pinned a DFO pin on a young boy attending with his Mom, he told me “I have an adult tooth coming in” - Jeremiah attends Nestucca Valley Elementary in Cloverdale (Tillamook Co.)

boy at COSA

And a note from our week in Independence:
Read the Printed article from the Salem Statesman Journal

Next week on the road:
Oregon Child Development Coalition (OCDC) in The Dalles.

Next week’s recap:
MESD (Multnomah Educational Service District) Summer Migrant Program at Reynolds Middle School in Fairview.

Regards, Mary