COUNCIL, Idaho- Dental professionals at Adams County Health Center (ACHC) held a free Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) Event at the health center on Thursday, February 6.
ACHC holds at least one GKAS Event each year to provide free dental care to children, aged 18 and under, who do not have dental insurance and need dental care.
“Give Kids a Smile Day is important in our community because there are always families with kids who need dental work and it’s expensive,” said Dr. Monte Eppich, DDS and ACHC’s Dental Director who has participated in GKAS for 23 years. “This is a way for those families to hopefully take care of their children’s dental needs without it being such a drain on their pocketbook and do it locally. I think as a dentist in the Council area for 22 years now, this is an opportunity to give back to this community which is my home and where I have been trying to improve the dental health of all the residents ever since I arrived. I know I’m in a unique position to help these kids, and this program helps.”
The GKAS program, which generally begins each year in February, is a nationwide program that is ran by the American Dental Association (ADA) Foundation, and targets underserved children with free oral health care.
“These events give us the opportunity to get dental care to patients who might not otherwise be able to afford it,” said Dr. Gregory G. Smith, DDS at ACHC who has participated in GKAS for 3 years. “GKAS is a wonderful chance for parents and caregivers to address their children’s dental problems in a warm and supportive environment. After participating in three GKAS events, the thing I enjoy most seeing is the hoopla of having all the kids in the clinic at the same time.”
During a GKAS event at ACHC, dental professionals come together to provide dental procedures such as dental examinations, cleanings, fillings, X-rays, extractions, and sealants for free to children aged 18 and under, who do not have dental insurance and need care. Other types of dental procedures may also be done on this day if needed.
“I think the GKAS program is important,” said Kaylee Zielinski, Registered Dental Hygienist (RDH) at ACHC who has participated in GKAS for 10 years. “It is especially important in such a rural area to try and reach as many underserved kids as possible.”
The ACHC Dental Department was able to provide quality dental care services to 19 children during this year’s GKAS Event.
“I think it is great that ACHC participates in GKAS every year, because it helps keep our community healthy for the future,” said DeNali Toombs, Expand Functions Dental Assistant (EFDA) at ACHC who has participated in GKAS for 12 years. “There is just so much need for GKAS events in our area. The best part for me is getting to see all the kids and their smiles and teaching them how to keep their teeth healthy and clean.”
Everyone in the ACHC Dental Department is thankful to have had the opportunity to participate in GKAS every year, because it gives patients the opportunity to obtain treatment that they might not otherwise be able to get if not for this national program.
“It is important for a rural community, like ours, to participate in this event because there are many families in the area who are not able to afford dental care for their children,” said Michelle Miller, Dental Receptionist at ACHC who participated in GKAS for the first time this year. “My passion is helping people in my local community, so I was very excited to have the opportunity to participate in this event. It was amazing seeing some children getting to experience a dental visit for the first time or getting a toothache taken care of by our team.”
While the GKAS events provide the opportunity to provide underserved children with free dental care, the ACHC dental department is also proud to provide dental care to patients with dental insurance, Medicaid, and to low-income patients who qualify for ACHC’s sliding fee program every day. If you are interested in receiving dental care at ACHC for you or your child, please call (208) 253-6447 to talk with our dental team.
The GKAS program, which was launched nationally in 2003, provides underserved children with free oral health care. Every year approximately 5,000 dentists and 20,000 dental team members volunteer at local GKAS events to provide free oral health education, screenings, and preventive and restorative treatment to over 300,000 children. Prior to this year’s events, over 7 million underserved children have received free oral health services through the GKAS program.
ACHC is a Federally Qualified Health Center that strives to provide high quality health care services to residents and visitors of Adams, Washington, Valley, Idaho and surrounding counties. With healthcare facilities few and far between, ACHC offers an array of services to meet the healthcare needs of everyone, regardless of social or economic status. Some of the services ACHC currently offers are primary care, dental, pharmacy, laboratory, optometry, behavioral health, physical therapy, diabetes care, immunizations, financial and insurance.
