WATCH YOUR MOUTH: MASSACHUSETTS: NEWSLETTER

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

Vol. 3, issue 10
October 2008

October 3, 2008-- New York State Dental Foundation Summit on Oral Health, HIV & AIDS (New York, NY)
October 8, 2008-- Health Law Advocates Brown Bag Luncheon Series: The Shadow of ERISA and Mass Health Reform (Jarett T. Barrios)
October 10, 2008-- American Academy of Pediatrics in the 21st Century (Peds21) Summit (Boston, MA)
October 21,2008-- Department of Public Health Ounce of Prevention Conference (Marlboro, MA)
Save the Date: November 5, 2008-- Massachusetts Family Voices Conference (Westborough, MA)
Save the Date: November 7,2008-- Masschusetts Public Health Association 2008 Annual Meeting
Save the Date: November 10, 2008-- Health Law Advocates Annual Benefit Breakfast
Save the Date: November 13-18, 2008-- National Network of Oral Health Access (Dallas, TX)
Save the Date: November 19-22, 2008-- Massachusetts Association of School Committees Conference (Hyannis, MA)

The Watch Your Mouth campaign has an exciting month ahead! We are hosting a spokesperson training on October 30th in Springfield, MA, and we hope that you can join us (scroll down to find out more and rsvp today).

In this issue, read the details of an upcoming Watch Your Mouth spokesperson training; celebrate Children's Health Month this October by using helpful communication tips to speak up for children's oral health; learn the importance of using metaphors to advocate for your issue and find out more about our campaign partner, the Massachusetts Coalition of School Based Health Centers. Also, remember to check out the left side of the page for new resources, trainings and events.

Talking Children's Oral Health: A Workshop for Spokesperson

The Watch Your Mouth campaign invites you to Talking Children's Oral Health: A Workshop for Spokesperson. The training will be held on October 30th in Springfield, MA.

Spend the day spend the day with the FrameWorks Institute, experts in the field of communicating for social change. Hear findings from their research on how people think about children's oral health, including recommendations on building broader public support through strategic communications. In this hands-on workshop, you will learn how to develop more effective messages so that you can be a spokesperson in support of kids' oral health! This training will give you an opportunity to:

Learn more about the Watch Your Mouth campaign and the work they do in Massachusetts
Learn to develop messages so that you can be a spokesperson in support of children's oral health
Learn communication skills to help you frame any health issue you are working on
Learn how to build a broader public support of your issue through strategic communications
Practice your newly learned skills in framing messages in front of a video camera

Click Here For More Details and To RSVP

October is Children's Health Month!

The National Wellness Institute declares October as Children's Health Month. To observe this important month, we provide you with five ideas to promote the importance of children's oral health in your community.

5 ways to speak up for children's oral health:

1. Educate the masses through the media. Write a "Letter to the Editor "or an "Opinion-Editorial" on why oral health is an important part of overall health. The message to the masses: Too few citizens of our commonwealth know this important fact: Dental disease is the most common chronic childhood disease - 5 times more common than asthma. The good news is that unlike other social problems we face, there are community-based solutions that can put an end to this disease.

2. Set up a meeting with your local school superintendent, principal or school nurse and ask them to make oral health a priority in school. The message to educators: Childhood dental disease can hinder kids' ability to learn and advance in school, and that children miss a total to 51 million school hours due to dental related problems. We require immunizations as a prerequisite to school attendance and we screen for vision and hearing problems. If we included oral health in these school-based screenings, we could ensure that dental disease does not derail learning.

3. Talk to local doctors and pediatricians and ask them what they are doing to improve children's oral health. The message to medical professionals: In order for kids to be healthy, they need to have access to preventive treatments such as early childhood screenings and dental sealants (thin plastic coatings that are applied to children's molars). Doctors and pediatricians can play a critical role by providing oral health services outside the dental office through check-ups and preventive services such as dental sealants or fluoride varnishes to children during their doctor visits.

4. Educate your friends and neighbors on how they can make a difference. The message to friends and neighbors: When communities work together to make children's oral health a statewide priority, kids gain access to much needed services and prevention, including early dental screening, access to fluoride protection and dental sealants. When we protect kids' oral health, we've made an important investment in the Commonwealth's future. The choice is up to us: we can either prevent this disease now, or pay later in expensive treatments and missed opportunities for our children.

5. Call your State Senator and Representative and educate them on policy solutions are important to increasing and improving access to dental services. The message to lawmakers: It's never too late to make children's oral health a statewide policy priority. Though Massachusetts is a leader in advancing public health, thousands of children in the Commonwealth still suffer from the most common chronic childhood disease: dental decay. Five times more common than asthma, this destructive disease can affect children's ability to do life's basic activities, such as eating, sleeping and learning. In Massachusetts, 4 out of 10 children experience dental decay by third grade. Many other states have already taken action to ensure that all their children have access to dental care. Your commitment is needed to ensure that all children in the Commonwealth have the oral health care they need.

Please do not hesitate to contact Czarina at biton@hcfama.org or 617.275.2838 with any questions or for assistance on getting started.

Creating and Using Metaphors: A Guide for Advocates

Metaphors play an important role in framing everyday messages. From conversations, to written fact sheets and even the media, we rely on metaphor to help us understand new concepts by relating it to what we already know.

In this FrameByte issue, the FrameWorks Institute explains how strong metaphors can reinforce the issue you are advocating for as longs as it leads the public to think about community and policy oriented solutions. FrameWorks provides us with a guideline and examples of how to use metaphors effectively in our daily communications, which you can view by clicking on the link below.

Learn how to use Metaphors Effectively

October Partner Spotlight: Massachusetts Coalition School Based Health Centers

By Antonia Blinn, Program Director

Founded in 1994 by a dedicated group of school- based health center advocates, the Massachusetts Coalition of School-Based Health Centers is the statewide organization leading the movement to put health care where kids spend the majority of their time - in schools. The Coalition provides a central voice, advocating for School-Based Health Centers and facilitates knowledge sharing among School- Based Health Center staff.

The work of the MA Coalition of School-Based Health Center includes:

Advocating for the physical, mental and oral health needs of Massachusetts' school-age children and adolescents.
Educating policymakers on the role of school- based health centers.
Working to establish sustainable funding and other resources for school-based health centers throughout the state.
Providing technical assistance, education, and networking opportunities for school-based health center personnel.
Providing technical assistance, and education to schools and health organizations desiring to establish a school-based health center.
Participating in national policy work in support of school-based health care.
Assisting with the development of new programs and funds to expand services available in existing school-based health centers.
Ensuring that youth and parents are involved in their school-based health centers and helping to share their voices and needs through presentations, meetings with policymakers, and the media.
Working with managed care organizations to make school-based health centers a part of their system for delivering health care.

Please join the movement!

Explore possibilities for starting a school-based health center at your school. Contact Antonia Blinn for help at 617-988-2243.

Tell your principal, school board, and state, local or federal elected officials that you would like to see school-based health care provided to students in your school.

Learn more about the MA Coalition of School-Based Health Center

We look forward to seeing you at the October 30th Spokesperson training!

Thanks,

Czarina

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