Bright and early Thursday morning, as students filed into Hannah Penn K-8 for another day of learning, a small team transformed the school’s library into a mobile dentist clinic.
The initiative is part of Family First Health’s school dentist program, offering in-school dental care for all ages and grade levels. LaJuan Mountain, the vice president of dental services for Family First Health, said the clinic helps provide better accessibility to both students and parents who would otherwise be unable to visit the dentist.
“There was a barrier with parents not being able to get off work to get their kids into the office,” Mountain said. “So seeing them in a school setting prevents the parent from losing a day at work, and it prevents the child from missing a day at school.”
In addition to closing the divide for access, Family First Health is working to change the overall dental culture in the York community.
Oftentimes, Mountain said, individuals might only see a dentist when something is wrong. The same goes for kids, too, when it’s often too late.
These routine screenings provide essential care to ensuring a child’s teeth are healthy and strong, she added.
Family First Health’s dental unit partners with a number of schools in York, Adams and Lancaster counties. On Thursday at Hannah Penn, the team had 176 scheduled services with students.
Nicole Tome, the school-based health center manager at Family First Health’s Hannah Penn Center, said the program is a wonderful way to provide essential care while missing little class time.
“Attendance is a nationwide issue for schools — and it’s no different here in York,” Tome said. “But when we have students here, we want them to be in class and learning. So mobile school dentistry events really cut down significantly on the time that students are away from their seats.”
The entire process takes roughly 20 to 30 minutes and includes dental screenings, cleanings, X-rays and a fluoride rinse. Health professionals will then use the data collected during exams to determine how often they should return to school.
If a student requires additional care — filling cavities for instance — Family First Health will schedule those appointments, too.
The cost of care is covered by the parent’s insurance. In instances where a family might not have insurance, though, Family First Health will work to get them insured.
This could mean being covered by state-funded insurance, for example, Mountain said.
Though being called down to get dental care at school might be an embarrassing situation for children, Tome said the kids often come out of appointments feeling confident and empowered.
“I think they’re more proud of the moment and they feel good about themselves,” Tome said. “I think it’s helping to boost their self-esteem and they leave with smiles on their faces because they know that they now know a little bit more about how to take care of their bodies.”
You can learn more about Family First Health and its programs at www.familyfirsthealth.org.