Thursday, May 18, 2006
By next year, a handful of underinsured children in the Oshkosh school district would be able to open wide for a dental exam and cleaning.
The dental exams are a new venture by the school district's Kids Care program to help meet the dental health needs for uninsured or even underinsured students with dental health needs. The exams would be funded with award money given back to the program by Linda Stoikes, a nurse practitioner in the district.
The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Nursing awarded Stoikes with its Nightingale Award for her Nursing Practice. She received the award and a $1,000 cash prize that she gave back to Kids Care for the dental care program.
"I just felt that money should be put back into the community," Stoikes said. "This is a need. We see kids that don't even have toothbrushes and don't know anything about dental hygiene."
Stoikes is hoping that the $1,000 would be able to provide vouchers for about 10 students to get a dental exam and cleaning.
The Kids Care program routinely sees about 150-200 students a school year, providing physical examinations for sports, wellness exams and medical care for illnesses like ear infections for children whose families require insurance or access to a family physician.
Kids Care began about eight years ago, Stoikes said, to help keep students healthy and in school.
"Quality of life without dental care is awful," Whitman said. "It's hard enough being a kid with perfect health and dental care."
"It's also their health... they miss school, they are in pain. Their diet is affected," Whitman said. "It's got to be hard to study and have your tooth pounding."
If the dental exams through Kids Care works well, Stoikes said, grant funding may be available in the future to expand the program.
"We don"t have dental care for anybody who's underinsured," Stoikes said. "There's just no help for them."
The dental exams are a new venture by the school district's Kids Care program to help meet the dental health needs for uninsured or even underinsured students with dental health needs. The exams would be funded with award money given back to the program by Linda Stoikes, a nurse practitioner in the district.
The University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh College of Nursing awarded Stoikes with its Nightingale Award for her Nursing Practice. She received the award and a $1,000 cash prize that she gave back to Kids Care for the dental care program.
"I just felt that money should be put back into the community," Stoikes said. "This is a need. We see kids that don't even have toothbrushes and don't know anything about dental hygiene."
Stoikes is hoping that the $1,000 would be able to provide vouchers for about 10 students to get a dental exam and cleaning.
The Kids Care program routinely sees about 150-200 students a school year, providing physical examinations for sports, wellness exams and medical care for illnesses like ear infections for children whose families require insurance or access to a family physician.
Kids Care began about eight years ago, Stoikes said, to help keep students healthy and in school.
"Quality of life without dental care is awful," Whitman said. "It's hard enough being a kid with perfect health and dental care."
"It's also their health... they miss school, they are in pain. Their diet is affected," Whitman said. "It's got to be hard to study and have your tooth pounding."
If the dental exams through Kids Care works well, Stoikes said, grant funding may be available in the future to expand the program.
"We don"t have dental care for anybody who's underinsured," Stoikes said. "There's just no help for them."
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