Each Friday in February, elementary kids from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System are trading their ABCs, for just "ah."
That's
because the kids are getting a lesson in dental hygiene. It's a part
of National Give Kids a Smile Day, where dentists all over the country
take the day to give free exams to elementary students.
"Parents,
for a lack of resources, lack of time, don't get the opportunity to get
their child to a dentist. So by doing the screening in the office, we
can let the parents know if there are any dental needs that need to be
taken care of," said dentist Dr. Johnnie Hunt.
"We believe that
our mission is the most important. We keep kids healthy so they can stay
in school and learn. There's a direct connection between education and
health. If you're not healthy, it will be really hard to be educated,"
said the CEO of Health Centers in Schools Sue Catching.
This trip
to the dentist is just one of several mobile health programs done for
students in partnership with Health Centers in Schools, a subsidiary of
Our Lady of the Lake Hospitals.
The center brings physicians,
nurse practitioners, optometrists and more directly to students to help
encourage a healthy lifestyle.
"Out of the 45,000 kids that we
interact with about 80 percent of them are at or below the federal
poverty level," said Catching. "Most of them don't have transportation
to get to the doctor to the dentist or to the optometrist."
That
is why programs like GKAS are important for kids. Through these visits,
they get the healthy lessons they need and to them it's all fun.
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