Interior

Dental services for Washington area children will be improved and expanded thanks to a $500,000 grant from the Children’s Health Board. The redesign and expansion of Children’s National dental clinic will give more families access to comprehensive oral health care. The Children’s Health Board has awarded about $5 million in grants to more than 250 programs at Children’s National Health System. “Children’s National is committed to improving the health of children through prevention, education, and care,” said Kurt Newman, MD, president and CEO of Children’s National. “Dental health is a critical part of children’s health that is too often overlooked or not accessible to families. This generous gift from the Children’s Health Board will allow us to expand our facilities, serve more patients, and offer more services.” “These critical enhancements will improve the patient experience and expand access to dental care for underserved children,” said Dr. Erik Scheifele, director of the Dental Clinic. “This grant from the Children’s Health Board will not only improve our facilities, but strengthen our coordinated approach to oral health care. By identifying at-risk patients earlier, we’ll be able to facilitate the right care and improve children’s long-term health.”

The grant will also cover education services and will enable the Pediatric Dental Residency Program to accept more candidates. Specific changes to the clinic will include:

doubling the size of the patient waiting room
updating the clinic’s technology, including state-of-the-art imaging and electronic health records
providing single-line access from the clinic door to treatment rooms
ensuring adequate space for wheelchairs and walkers.

Kathy Barker, president of the Children’s Health Board, explained that the board identified the dental clinic as a priority because the grant will improve the experience of physicians, staff, and patient families in a direct way. “The Children’s Health Board takes pride in funding programs that are often overlooked but that provide essential services to children and their families. We look forward to following the construction of the dental clinic and know it wil benefit many families throughout our community.

Founded in 1866, the Children’s Health Board works with Children’s National Medical Center to advance the health and well-being of children in the community, especially those most in need, through advocacy, education, prevention, and early intervention. Through annual grants, the Children’s Health Board supports promising initiatives at Children’s National – from concussion prevention, immunizations, and congenital heart defect screening in infants – as well as numerous health initiatives through the pediatric community clinics of Children’s National serving those most in need. Over the past 20 years, Children’s Health Board has awarded approximately $5 million in grants to more than 250 Children’s National Medical Center programs. These grants have turned early ideas into proven models that have attracted support from leading investors in improved health outcomes for children nationwide.