ACORN Clinic receives surgeon general’s award

BROOKER – The Alachua County Organization for Rural Needs, Inc. (ACORN) Clinic was one of 20 recipients of the Surgeon General’s Health Innovation Prevention and Management Awards, the Florida Department of Health announced Jan. 27.  The award honors organizations, businesses or programs that are innovative in bringing preventative health care to their members, employees or community.

The ACORN Dental Clinic Children’s Oral Health and Educational Outreach program was one of 20 recipients of the award, chosen from 34 applications.  The Children’s Oral Health and Educational Outreach Program provides interactive oral hygiene education to pre-kindergarten, kindergarten and first grade children in north central Florida.  The Tooth Fairy, her assistant, and Bob, the Alligator, visit classrooms in rural communities to demonstrate and teach the importance of tooth brushing and basic good nutrition. Each child is given a take home bag with toothbrush, toothpaste, oral health education and secondhand smoke brochures.

Many of the children are also enrolled in the ACORN Dental Clinic, where they receive dental care, often for the first time.  In 2009, 85 percent of the children enrolled completed all the dental care planned for them, improving their oral health and, thus, their overall health.  Each year, 51 million school hours are missed due to oral disease, and tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease among young children.

A panel of experts from the Department of Health made the selection.  State Surgeon General Ana Viamonte Ros, M.D., M.P.H. said, “I am proud of the creative public health efforts demonstrated by all applicants.  I specifically commend the award winners for their accomplishment in implementing innovative ideas that can be shared with and adopted by other groups, therefore replicating their successful model.”

For more information, visit www.acornclinic.org.