TOOTH TAXI PARTNERSHIP LOVE
“We are extremely grateful for the dental services that the Tooth Taxi provides to our students. Sweet Home is an economically disadvantaged community. It is often difficult to get children in for dental care in this town because the 2 dental offices here do not take the Oregon Health Plan insurance and many of our families struggle with transportation. Because of these barriers, many of our children lack dental care. The Tooth Taxi provides dental care to our disadvantaged students who are insured by OHP or who are without dental insurance, who might not otherwise receive any dental care. Thank you for the dedication you have shown and serving our students.”
Jamie Smith, MPH, BSN, RN, NCSN, Coordinator School Health Services Multnomah Education Service District (MESD)
“As a school nurse, our goal is to remove health-related barriers to a student's education. One of the values of the Tooth Taxi is that the services can be provided while the student is at school. Dental care is provided in a child-friendly, comfortable space that helps provide a positive experience for the child. This helps prevent the traumatic experience many children experience when they get to the point of having urgent dental needs. This can also establish a positive perception of dental care providers and promote life-long health and oral health habits.
Kristi Walker, Health Services Project Director | Sweet Home School District No. 55
“The Tooth Taxi maintains a robust team of dental professionals who are willing to accept any children who need access to dental care. These efforts help youth and their families understand the importance of a healthy lifestyle, making them more likely to engage in improved oral health and return for follow-up dental appointments and preventive care at our HDSC. The Salem Health Community Needs Assessment states that 4.8% of Marion County children and 2.6% of Polk County children do not have health insurance. This means that thousands of youth in our community do not have access to regular dental care or access to health education. For undocumented children, the rates of uninsured are much higher. Ongoing support and services provided by the DFO Tooth Taxi adds credibility to our program and allow us to provide quality dental services and education for youth and families in Marion and Polk Counties.”
Jodi Loper CDA, EFDA | Health & Dental Services Director, Boys & Girls Club of Salem, Marion and Polk Counties
“For years, our school-based dental screenings demonstrated that Highland Elementary had one of the highest urgent dental care rates in our district, but after hosting the Tooth Taxi for two years in a row, the urgent dental care rate dropped considerably. The Tooth Taxi's approach of providing school-site treatment interventions is a successful model! Even the best intending parents commonly cannot get their children in for dental care appointments due to barriers such as transportation, unaffordable deductibles/co-pays, and inability to miss work.”
Jessica Dusek, Dental Health Coordinator, Salem-Keizer School District
We Believe Every Child Deserves Quality Dental Care
We advocate for increased funding for children's dental treatment and education. We support community water fluoridation, a proven and safe way to reduce cavities, and we encourage volunteerism in the dental community.