The money will fund six “Smart Start Saturday” clinics for eligible Northern Moore children, according to Leigh Smith, program manager for the Dental Care Centers. The clinics began Feb. 28 and will continue through June. Services are provided in the FirstHealth Dental Care Center in Troy.
“Traditionally, we have a large number of northern Moore County children in that office,” Smith said. “It’s a natural affiliation for these families to go to Troy.”
During “Smart Start Saturdays,” dentists provide new patient exams, fluoride varnishes and sealants for children up to 5 years of age who have Medicaid or Health Choice coverage or who qualify by income.
Many of the children have never seen a dentist before, and many come from families for whom English is a second language. The staff of Troy Dental Care Center, which is regularly open three days each week, includes Dr. Mei K. Hall, a dentist who speaks English, Spanish and Chinese.
“This is where we can make a difference,” Smith said.
The FirstHealth Dental Care Centers have received more than $136,000 in Smart Start money since 1999.
State funds are administered at the local level through local nonprofit organizations. In Moore County, that organization is Moore County Partners for Children and Families, which is headed by Terry Reynolds.
“We fund 20-some different projects and a dozen different agencies in Moore County,” Reynolds said. “We enhance what these organizations do with the money they have from other sources to support the gamut of health care, child care and family support services. We’re involved in a lot of health projects. Dental is just one of them.”
A public-private initiative, Smart Start provides funding to all of the state’s 100 counties in an effort to ensure that young children start school healthy and ready to succeed.
According to Smith, FirstHealth received its first Smart Start grant before the first Dental Care Center opened in Southern Pines in 1998. Clinics in Troy and Raeford opened the following year.
“Even before the program opened, Smart Start money paid for dental services provided by some local dentists,” Smith said. “We received $25,000 to help with indigent care.”
Since that time, Smart Start has also assisted the Dental Care Centers with supplies and minor equipment, funded regular “Smart Start Saturdays” in the Southern Pines clinic and paid for a pediatric dentist to provide operating room services – in addition to the new series of “Smart Start Saturdays” in Troy.
The new Troy service, according to Smith, should result in three benefits. “It will be easier to access, we will reach new children, and it will open up space in our busy Southern Pines office,” she said.
The FirstHealth Dental Care Centers provide dental care for Medicaid or medically underserved children, up to age 18, in Moore, Montgomery and Hoke counties. In addition to routine dental care, the centers focus on disease prevention and early detection and intervention.
The phone numbers for more information on the program are 692-5111 in Southern Pines, 572-1700 in Troy and 904-7450 in Raeford.
