• Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts: The Watch Your Mouth Coalition Is Working In Massachusetts, New Hampshire And Maine To Make Children's Oral Health A Priority. Objectives of the Watch Your Mouth Coalition are to Educate the public that tooth decay is the most common childhood disease that can cause diminished school performance and poor overall health. WYM advocates for wider access to preventive services, such as dental sealants and fluoride, and regular dental exams for all children.
  • Global Navigation
  • Content
  • Sectional Navigation
watch your mouth
Massachusetts



















New!Check out the Watch Your Mouth television advertisement, airing around the state right now! Preview the ad at full size. (Download QuickTime player.)








Newsletter

Vol. 3, issue 4
April 2008

April Events

North Quabbin Dental Fair 2008-- A Successful Event!


North Quabbin Dental Fair

WOW!! This year's Dental Fair drew a crowd of over 700 people; what a fantastic event! The North Quabbin Oral Health Hero Awards were presented to the family of the late Dr. David Muzzey, Representative Christopher Donelan and Thomas Darcy. SpongeBob SquarePants spent the entire day and was a big hit. Kids came and went throughout the event getting their photos taken with SpongeBob, playing games and creating arts and crafts. No child, or parent for that matter, left empty handed. Best of all is that children were also learning about the importance of good oral health while having a great time. View a photo slideshow of the NQCC's 2008 Dental Fair

Doing Social Math: Framing and Communicating Numbers to your Audience


Doing Social Math: Framing and Communicating Numbers to your Audience

The Advocacy Institute and Berkeley Media Studies Group pioneered an approach to communicating statistics also known as "social math." Social math is a way to present statistics so that they are memorable and vivid. Social Math expresses a relationship between a number that is hard to grasp and something tangible, placing the numbers in a social context that provides meaning. FrameWorks Institute's e-zine uses examples from daily press and provides examples of how to use social math as a powerful tool in advocacy. Learn more about Social Math

April Partner Spotlight: The Access Project


Access Project

The Access Project was founded in 1998 to help vulnerable populations gain a voice in healthcare policy discussions that affect them. It has partnered with hundreds of local organizations, often gathering information they can use to advocate for better policies. In a 2000 survey, done in partnership with 24 organizations in 18 states, The Access Project first learned about the problem of medical debt - that it is widespread, that it keeps people from getting care, and that it can harm people financially for years to come. Since that time it has published numerous reports on this issue. It has also looked at the serious health and financial impacts of eliminating dental insurance for MassHealth clients (which fortunately has since been restored).

The Access Project is continuing these efforts on many fronts. It is working with members of Congress to establish charity care standards for non-profit hospitals, surveying farmers and ranchers in California about their healthcare costs, and looking at the contribution of dental debt to overall medical debt. And it is now directly helping people with medical debt, coaching them on how to get public coverage if eligible and to negotiate with providers to reduce their bills to manageable levels. This program has helped people eliminate hundreds of thousands of dollars of debt. Learn more about The Access Project

Preventive Dental Care Opportunities


Woman with child

The Mt. Ida College Dental Hygiene Program offers preventive dental care for all members of the community. They are licensed as MassHealth providers and have been providing dental care to the Newton and surrounding communities since 1999. There is a full time dentist on staff who also provides dental care. The clinic is open on Monday afternoons and all day on Thursdays. Screening are also available on Tuesdays and Fridays. For an appointment, please contact Lisa or Maria at 617.928.7360.

Feel free to let me know of any oral health events in your community or resources that you would like to share. Remember to RSVP today for the Spokesperson training on April 2nd.

Many Thanks,

Czarina





Previous Newsletters

Get Involved Today

Page Top


Watch Your Mouth Massachusetts is supported by grants from the Oral Health Foundation and Dental Services of Massachusetts.
Watch Your Mouth Coalition.