L.A. Care Offers Free Dental Services to Preschool Children

Wednesday, February 18, 2009

Los Angeles, CA - L.A. Care Health Plan has joined forces with the Children’s Dental Health Clinic, Crest, and Telemundo to provide free health screenings, oral hygiene education and fluoride varnishes for children on February 18, 2009. The event will take place at L.A. Care’s Family Resource Center from 10:00 a.m. to 12 p.m. in Plaza Mexico located at 3180 E. Imperial Highway in Lynwood.

L.A. Care’s Dental Health Day is intended to raise public awareness about the importance of good oral health among children in Los Angeles County. The Los Angeles County Department of Health Services reports that the prevalence of oral diseases among children in the County is twice the national average. According to the Surgeon General, oral health diseases are a silence epidemic affecting primarily low-income Americans, especially children and the elderly. Uninsured children are hit the hardest; they are 3 times more likely than insured children to have unmet dental needs.

“L.A. Care has a strong commitment to ensuring good oral health in school-age children. Many people are not aware of the complications of untreated oral diseases, which include tooth decay, gum disease, mouth and throat diseases including cancer, stroke, lung disease, diabetes and premature births,” says Dr. Elaine Batchlor, Chief Medical Officer at L.A. Care. “Together we can affect change to maintain and improve oral health of our children.”

According to the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, untreated oral disease is the largest unmet health care need in the County. A recent study reported that approximately 1.44 million (nearly one-fourth) of California children 11 years of age or younger have never visited a dentist. The Los Angeles Unified School District reported that about 50,000 children a year indicate tooth pain, which is one of the most common reasons for absenteeism in schools.

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), tooth decay among children in the U.S. is a common problem that begins at early age and affects them more than any other chronic infectious disease.

L.A. Care has invested approximately $6 million through grants to community clinics and other providers to improve oral health in L.A. County. For more information, please visit www.lacare.org.

Community Clinics that Offer Low or No-Cost Dental Services

FOR CHILDREN	FOR FAMILIES/ADULTS
Antelope Valley Partners for Health	The Los Angeles Free Clinic
1122 W. Avenue L-12 #103	8405 Beverly Blvd.
Lancaster, CA 93551	Los Angeles, CA 90048
661.942.4719	323.330.1656
Children’s Dental Health Clinic-Long Beach	Los Angeles Mission Community Clinic
455 E. Columbia St.	311 East Winston St.
Long Beach, CA 90806	Los Angeles, CA 90013
562.933.0549	213.893.1960, ext. 110
South Bay Family Healthcare Center	Mission City Community Network
23430 Hawthorne Blvd., Bldg 3, Suite 210	15206 Parthenia St.
Torrance, CA 90505	North Hills, CA 91343
310.802.6177	818.895.3100
FOR FAMILIES/ADULTS	Mission Community Hospital
AltaMed	14850 Roscoe Blvd.
500 Citadel Drive, Suite 490	Panorama City, CA 90037
Los Angeles, CA 90040	323.541.1660
323.725.8751	Northeast Valley Health Corporation
Clinica Msr. Oscar A. Romero	1172 North Maclay Avenue
2032 Marengo St.	San Fernando, CA 91340
Los Angeles, CA 90033	818.898.1388, ext. 950231
323.987.1030	QueensCare Family Clinics
Community Health Alliance of Pasadena	1300 N. Vermont St., Suite 1002
1855 N. Fair Oaks Ave., # 200	Los Angeles, CA 90027
Pasadena, CA 91103	323.953.7341
626.398.6300	St. John’s Well Child & Family Center
Eisner Pediatric & Family Medical Center	3800 S. Figueroa St.
1530 Olive St.	Los Angeles, CA 90037
Los Angeles, CA 90015	323.541.1660
213.746.1037	USC School of Dentistry
Faison & Faison	925 West 34th Street, DEN 4202
411 S. Long Beach Blvd.	Los Angeles, CA 90089-0641
Compton, CA 90221	213.740.1098
310.537.2217

About L.A. Care Health Plan

L.A. Care Health Plan (Local Initiative Health Authority of Los Angeles County) is a public entity and community-accountable health plan serving residents of Los Angeles County through a variety of programs including L.A. Care Covered™, Medi-Cal, L.A. Care’s Healthy Kids, L.A. Care Health Plan Medicare Advantage HMO SNP, and PASC-SEIU Homecare Workers Health Care Plan. L.A. Care is a leader in developing new programs through innovative partnerships designed to provide health coverage to vulnerable populations and to support the safety net. With more than one million members, L.A. Care is the nation’s largest publicly operated health plan.

L.A. Care Offers Free Dental Services to Preschool Children

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