Cass Community Health Foundation

THE MISSION OF CASS COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION IS TO EMPOWER THE COMMUNITY THROUGH IMPROVED HEALTH.

SEE SCHEDULE O.CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINICDURING 2021, CASS COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO IMPROVE THE ORAL HEALTH STATUS OF LOW- INCOME UNINSURED CHILDREN AND THOSE INSURED BY MISSOURI MEDICAID THROUGH ITS CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC. EVEN WITH THE CONTINUED CHALLENGES OF THE PANDEMIC, THE CLINIC SERVED 3,659 CHILDREN AND ADOLESCENTS THROUGH 7,107 DENTAL VISITS. WITH LOCATIONS IN BELTON AND HARRISONVILLE, CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC IS THE FIRST FULL-TIME SAFETY NET DENTAL CLINIC IN CASS COUNTY SERVING UNDERSERVED CHILDREN FROM BIRTH TO AGE 20. THE CLINIC OPENED IN 2011 AND HAS TREATED OVER 11,000 CHILDREN IN ITS FIRST 10 YEARS.TELEDENTISTRYCASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC LAUNCHED A TELEDENTISTRY PROGRAM IN 2020 TO INCREASE ACCESS TO DENTAL SERVICES. TELEDENTISTRY INCREASES ACCESS TO DIAGNOSTIC AND PREVENTIVE DENTAL SERVICES BY TAKING THESE SERVICES INTO LOCAL SCHOOLS. THE DENTAL HYGIENIST CAN TAKE X-RAYS AND PHOTOS, COMPLETE AN ASSESSMENT WITH DETAILED NOTES, AND PROVIDE PREVENTIVE SERVICES, SUCH AS DENTAL PROPHYLAXIS, SEALANTS, AND FLUORIDE TREATMENTS. THE DENTIST REVIEWS THE ASSESSMENT DATA WITHIN 72 HOURS AND CAN COMPLETE A DIAGNOSIS AND CREATE A TREATMENT PLAN. THE CLINIC SAW 174 CHILDREN THROUGH THIS PROGRAM, 101 OF WHICH WERE NEW PATIENTS IN 2021.IN-OFFICE SEDATION SERVICESIN OCTOBER 2021, CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC BEGAN OFFERING IN-OFFICE SEDATION TO ELIGIBLE PATIENTS. YOUNG PATIENTS WITH EXTENSIVE DENTAL NEEDS, WHO ARE OFTEN UNABLE TO RECEIVE DENTAL CARE WHILE AWAKE, CAN NOW RECEIVE SEDATION TREATMENT AT CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC. BEFORE OFFERING IN-OFFICE SEDATION SERVICE, CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC REFERRED CHILDREN TO PEDIATRIC SPECIALISTS IN OTHER LOCATIONS. OFFERING IN-OFFICE SEDATION AT THE CLINIC REMOVES BARRIERS FOR FAMILIES AND REINFORCES THE DENTAL HOME MODEL, CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC'S APPROACH TO ORAL HEALTH CARE. IN THE LAST QUARTER OF 2021, CASS COUNTY DENTAL CLINIC PROVIDED 19 CHILDREN TREATMENT WITH IN-OFFICE SEDATION.2020/2021 DENTAL SCREENINGSAS THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC CONTINUED THROUGHOUT 2021, CASS COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATIONS' DENTAL SCREENINGS WERE DIFFICULT TO ACCOMPLISH. SO MANY SCHOOLS WERE STRUGGLING TO SIMPLY GET STUDENTS BACK IN THE CLASSROOM THAT SCREENINGS WERE DIFFICULT TO SCHEDULE. DURING THE 2020/2021 SCHOOL YEAR, CASS COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION HELD ITS ANNUAL DENTAL SCREENINGS WHERE A TOTAL OF 290 CHILDREN WERE SCREENED. K-5 STUDENTS AT CASS COUNTY ELEMENTARY AND STUDENTS IN GRADES PRE-K THROUGH 8 IN THE EAST LYNNE SCHOOL DISTRICT WERE SCREENED. STUDENTS LEARNED PROPER DENTAL CARE TECHNIQUES AND RECEIVED DENTAL SUPPLIES TO REINFORCE ORAL HEALTH AT HOME. VARNISH APPLICATIONS WERE ALSO PROVIDED TO 251 CHILDREN WHO RECEIVED PARENTAL PERMISSION AS A PREVENTIVE MEASURE AGAINST TOOTH DECAY. THROUGH THESE SCREENINGS, 76 CHILDREN WERE IDENTIFIED AS NEEDING NON-URGENT DENTAL CARE AND 8 WERE IDENTIFIED AS NEEDING URGENT DENTAL CARE. THESE SCREENINGS ARE AN OPPORTUNITY TO PROMOTE GOOD ORAL HYGIENE TO ALL CHILDREN AND PROMOTE THE AVAILABILITY OF OUR CLINIC FOR LOW-INCOME UNINSURED CHILDREN AND THOSE INSURED BY MISSOURI MEDICAID. THE 2021/2022 SCHOOL-YEAR HAS BEEN SUCCESSFUL WITH OUR DENTAL SCREENING PROGRAM REACHING 3,608 STUDENTS. NURSING AND HEALTH CARE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAMCASS COMMUNITY HEALTH FOUNDATION CONTINUED TO SUPPORT LOCAL YOUTH INTERESTED IN NURSING OR HEALTHCARE CAREERS BY PROVIDING SCHOLARSHIPS TO GRADUATES OF CASS COUNTY, MISSOURI HIGH SCHOOLS. DURING 2021, 41 SCHOLARSHIPS TOTALING $53,750 WERE AWARDED TO STUDENTS FROM ARCHIE, BELTON, GRANDVIEW, HARRISONVILLE, PLEASANT HILL, RAYMORE-PECULIAR, SHERWOOD CASS, AND HEARTLAND CHRISTIAN SCHOOLS RECEIVED SCHOLARSHIP AWARDS AS WELL AS STUDENT ENROLLED AT CASS CAREER CENTER'S ADULT NURSING PROGRAM