April 22, 2021 10:10 a.m. 

Mercy Foundation has been awarded an Umpqua Health grant of $10,000 for the health improvement efforts of mobile dental care throughout Douglas County.

Kathleen Nickel from Mercy Medical said the funds will be used specifically to upgrade the existing Healthy Kids Outreach Program vans to exceed the safety standards established by the Oregon Health Authority and the Oregon Department of Education for providing preventative dental care at school.

A release said about half of the children and families in the county live at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guideline. Many of the families served by Mercy Foundation face transportation and financial barriers that HKOP helps overcome, especially in rural communities.

HKOP helps improve the basic health of children in the county three ways:

*Dental Screenings and Treatments

*Healthy Education

*Connection to Care program

Mercy Foundation President Lisa Platt said “Umpqua Health Alliance’s funds will allow the HKOP dental team to continue to focus on oral care prevention and education in our community schools while these upgrades allow us to exceed all of the health standards as a mobile oral health care provider”.

HKOP Manager Trina Gwaltney said that dental and oral health care for children is very much needed in this county. She said that having upgraded resources in their vans will allow their teams to focus on education and prevention efforts while providing, “…a safe sterile environment for our hygienists, students and staff”. Gwaltney said the organization is very grateful for the grant.

For more information go to: https://www.mercygiving.org/hkop.html