This is a guest blog post written by Paige Malone, In Mode Marketing. The attendance at the 3rd annual Kentucky Oral Health Coalition (KOHC) meeting was a sure sign of growth. More than 60 oral health advocates and stakeholders participated in the meeting from many counties of Commonwealth, which is a positive sign of the power behind this important purpose. This year, KOHC was fortunate enough to have Dr. Terry Brooks, executive director of Kentucky Youth Advocates provide the young coalition with advocacy lessons. Brooks offered practical tactics [...]

  Children’s health is the foundation of their overall development. Poor health in childhood impacts other critical aspects of a child’s life, such as school readiness and attendance, and can have lasting consequences on his or her future health and well-being. Throughout the years public health insurance programs such as Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP) have increased access to coverage among numerous Kentucky children. This can all change as funding for the Children’s Health [...]

 We need your input at the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition’s annual meeting. Join us on Friday, July 25, 2014 from 11 a.m. to 3:00  p.m. eastern time. Registration begins at 10:30 a.m. The meeting will be held at the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky Training  Room at 1640 Lyndon Farm Court, Suite 100, Louisville, KY 40223.  We will focus on developing KOHC’s policy agenda for the 2015 Kentucky General Assembly and discuss the next  chapter of KOHC including its organizational structure. A detailed agenda will follow. Lunch will [...]

Guest blog by Elizabeth Roney The DentaQuest Foundation held a south/southeast regional oral health convening in Nashville from May 21st through the 23rd.  Professionals ranging from dentists to advocates from 13 southern states connected to create a regional network, discuss how to build an oral health movement and work together to align goals with the Oral Health 2020 vision. Nashville’s laid-back feel and the unconventional meeting facilitation methods allowed a student, like myself, to confidently and comfortably participate along [...]

The legislative session wrapped up in April and there are great opportunities to report for children’s oral health - on the state budget front, a piece of new legislation, and a new Governor’s initiative. We want to take a minute to highlight just one of the exciting wins for kids’ oral health during the 2014 legislative session. On April 9th the Governor signed into law SB 159. This bill allows a school district or a Head Start program to contract with a licensed, not-for-profit primary care [...]

In January, Governor Steve Beshear delivered his Commonwealth address and stressed the importance of improving the health of our residents in hopes of attracting and retaining good paying jobs for the citizens of Kentucky. Governor Beshear mentioned several issues related to health including efforts to improve dental care for Kentuckians. In February, Governor Beshear also launched the Kentucky Health Now initiative, which among other priorities, sets goals to increase adult dental visits by 10% by the [...]

A recent poll revealed that just over half (51%) of Kentucky adults reported not having dental insurance coverage. In most instances, children have the opportunity to receive health and dental coverage through their parents’ insurance or the Kentucky Children’s Health Insurance Program (KCHIP). Does your child or children have dental coverage? With less than a week remaining for open enrollment through Kynect, Kentucky’s Health Benefit Exchange, this is your opportunity to enroll now! For many children across the [...]

Has your child’s pediatrician ever looked at your child’s teeth or gums? If you have ever been pregnant, did your OB/GYN talk to you about your oral health? If you are a physician, do you shy away from talking about oral health with your patients, because it is not your role? School nurses, do you include oral health in your continuum of care in your school? As a part of Kentucky’s 2014 Oral Health Literacy [...]

  Today the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition, a project of Kentucky Youth Advocates, released the infographic Word of Mouth: The Importance of Oral Health in Kentucky. The infographic displays fun facts about oral health and the consequences of poor oral hygiene. It also looks at what barriers Kentuckians face when it comes to having optimal oral health including cost, lack of prevention, and lack of access. View and Download the full infographic below or download [...]