Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #107076

Venise L. Jackson, MPH MHPE¹, Larry Williams, MS², Maria Demas, DDS³, and Yolanda G. Martinez-Langford, EdPhD, PhD¹. (1) Office of Minority Health, Orange County Health Department, 6101 Lake Ellenor Drive, Orlando, FL 32809, 407 836-7112, venise_jackson@doh.state.fl.us, (2) Community Assessment and Planning Division, Orange County Health Deparment, 6101 Lake Ellenor Drive, Orlando, FL 32809, (3) Dental, Orange County Health Department, 832 W. Central Blvd, Orlando, FL 32805

The OCHD Dental Unit in collaboration with the Office of Minority Health (OMH) implemented an innovative model to deliver dental health services to children who reside in the Front Port community of Holden Heights. Holden Heights is a predominantly African American community of approximately 3,900 residents with a median household income of $24,000. This geographic area was chosen because of the disproportionately impacted number of people who reside there; specifically, the targeted area has the highest rate of HIV/STDs, TB, poverty, teen pregnancy rates, unemployment and crime in the county. Of particular interest are the 2,290 elementary and middle school children many of whom do not have any type of health or dental insurance. The dental model, the first of its kind in Orange County, (1) brings together a coalition of Holden Heights' residents to identify dental needs in the community and develop a sustainability plan to ensure dental care for uninsured children and adults in the community, (2) provides education to children and their parents regarding dental health and (3) places sealants on uninsured and high-risk second and sixth graders. Discussion will include process and outcome data. Process data focuses on the development of the stakeholder coalition and its perceived impact on the community and the communities ability to become a change agent. Outcome data focuses on the educational and preventive aspects of the project.

Learning Objectives:

• (1) How to engage the target community in the process of delivery of prevention health services.
• (2) How to engage the community stakeholders, policy makers and funding agencies in the process of identifying funding to sustain efforts.
• (3) How to better identify the health educational needs of at risk, uninsured individuals.

Keywords: Community Involvement, Health Disparities

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.