Deamonte driver is a name that may be familiar to people in the dc area. The deamonte driver dental project was launched in november 2008 by dr. Mobile dental clinic brings care to poor children in prince georges county. Washington, dc capitol hill may 7, 2010 the deamonte driver dental project dddp welcomed the arrival of its first mobile dental clinic with a ribbon cutting ceremony held on. A bill to expand the dental workforce and improve dental access, prevention, and data reporting, and for other purposes. The deamonte driver dental project mobile clinic was parked. As a response to this needless death, a team of black dentists have established the deamonte driver dental project which provides mobile dental services to prevent similar losses from happening in the future. Jun 26, 2012 deamonte drivers tooth was bothering him. The sparkling vehicle, larger than a school bus, decorated in tropical. The deamonte driver dental project is a grassroots endeavor which has already obtained partial funding from the state of maryland department of health and mental hygiene and has also received a groundswell of support from community partners including howard university college of dentistry, university of maryland college park, morgan state university, local practicing dentists, many civic. After the screening your child will receive a dental report on your childs teeth and services received. The deamonte driver dental project mobile clinic was parked outside, offering tours to dignitaries and care to schoolchildren. The senator met with maryland parents and children who are receiving dental care and he also.
Project hope is a global health and humanitarian relief organization that. When 12yearold deamonte driver died in 2007 from an untreated tooth infection, marylands medicaid dental care was among the worst in the nation. The deamonte driver dental project has announced arrival and launch of its first mobile dental clinic. Hazel harper and belinda carvertaylor, the deamonte driver dental project is part of a schoolbased community initiative to increase access to care for uninsured and underinsured children in prince georges county, maryland, and surrounding communities. The statefunded mobile office for prince georges county, named the deamonte driver dental project, will visit nine local schools in an effort to screen and treat lowincome and underserved children needing dental care. Below is what i wrote in 2007, and i think it is just as. Hazelharper and belinda carvertaylor, cofounders of the deamonte driver dental project.
The decaying realities behind deamonte driver s death. In february 2007, 12yearold deamonte driver of prince georges county, md, died from a brain infection resulting from an untreated tooth abscess. One innovative solution helping to reach some underserved children like deamonte is mobile dental clinics staffed by volunteer dentists, and in november the deamonte driver dental project mobile unit, a large van now equipped as a threechair childrens dental clinic, made its first stop by spending the day at deamonte s old school. Although deamonte was entitled to oral health care from his medicaid managed care organization, his family had found it difficult to locate a dentist in their neighborhood who would provide care. Senator ben cardin dmd today visited kool smiles clinic in district heights to thank kool smiles, members of the maryland dental action coalition and the deamonte driver dental project for their work in ensuring that maryland children have access to dental care. Deamonte drivers death was tragic but his legacy doesnt have to be, said congressman john sarbanes. The deamonte driver dental project has fostered collaborative partnerships to address one of the most preventable childhood problems poor dental health, said betty thomas, the project director of the deamonte driver dental project. Jan 11, 2018 the tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of dental disease by esther galen 11 january 2018 mary otto, the author of teeth. May 24, 2010 washington, dc capitol hill may 7, 2010 the deamonte driver dental project dddp welcomed the arrival of its first mobile dental clinic with a ribbon cutting ceremony held on may 6, 2010 on capitol hill. Deamonte driver s passing four years ago was a national tragedy that served as a wakeup call reminding all of us about the link between oral health and overall health, said senator cardin, who sponsored the amendment to the childrens health insurance program chip reauthorization bill making dental care a guaranteed benefit within the program. The deamonte driver dental project started by targeting nine prince georges county elementary schools and relies on principals, school nurses and parent liaisons to identify children in need of help using criteria such as eligibility for free school lunches. Deamonte driver dental project the office of oral health provides the principal support for the deamonte driver dental project dddp in partnership with the robert t. In february, 2007, deamonte driver, a young boy from prince georges county, maryland died from a brain infection caused by.
His mother needed a single dentist who would take medicaid to perform an 80 dollar extraction. These two new requirements alone will give millions of children financial access to dental health. Click on the links below to go to each members web site. Deboney hughes, a dentist with the deamonte driver dental project. Congress included landmark oral health provisions in the 2010 affordable care act. For the past four years, we have worked in congress to expand coverage and access to dental health care for children so that no child should have to suffer without adequate dental care. The deamonte driver dental project the story of deamonte driver has lead to the development of new dental projects and laws regarding childrens oral health both locally and nationally. Learning more about the pros, drawbacks, expense, as well as layout choices offered for.
A private ribboncutting ceremony will be held may 6, 2010, on capitol hill followed by an awards ceremony honoring those whose support and leadership brought the dream to fruition. Belinda carvertaylor, the deamonte driver dental project is part of a schoolbased community initiative to increase access to care for uninsured and underinsured children in prince georges county, md. The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of dental. In addition, local dentists sprang into action, launching the deamonte driver dental project, treating thousands of uninsured and underinsured kids since 2008 with help from community partners. Hundreds of thousands of deamonte drivers walk the streets of the united. A charge to improve childrens access to oral health services the.
In 2007, 12yearold deamonte driver pictured above died after bacteria from an abscessed tooth traveled to his brain. The driver children have never received routine dental attention, said their mother, alyce driver. Tragic results when dental care is out of reach dollars. Oral health america and tridentr gum celebrate childrens. I am the cofounder and first project director of the deamonte driver dental project, a community and schoolbased oral health program for children. You will receive a followup contact from the project manager of the deamonte driver dental project. So they gathered at the school he attended thursday to announce the deamonte driver dental project, which will bring a mobile dental office to needy children at elementary schools in prince george. Another is the deamonte driver dental project, which was formed by the robert t. His mother was focused on finding a dentist for deamontes. Allstate alvenia rhea albright care credit crest oralb colgatepalmolive company dental trade alliance dentaquest dentsply international glaxosmithkline henry schein patterson dental sunstar voco america, inc founding member. Bynum on the inaccuracies of the new york times 1619 project. The dddp provides diagnostic, preventive, and simple restorative dental services to. One innovative solution helping to reach some underserved children like deamonte is mobile dental clinics staffed by volunteer dentists, and in november the deamonte driver dental project mobile unit, a large van now equipped as a threechair childrens dental clinic, made its first stop by spending the day at deamontes old school.
The following is a summary of cdhps major projects. Nearly four years after bacteria from an infected tooth spread to the brain of 12yearold deamonte driver and killed him, the dental clinic named in his memory had made its first stop at his. The project has made tremendous gains in increasing access to available dentistry for some of the most. She graduated from a training program last year and now assists a dentist in capitol heights who works with the deamonte driver dental project. I wrote about the day i learned about deamonte s death, and how it made me feel. Yesterday, state officials announced the creation of the deamonte driver dental project, named for the 12yearold whose death put a spotlight on the lack of access to dental care for marylands.
Deamonte driver unveils first mobile clinic dentistryiq. We prepare the vehicle for its schedule to visit p. The drivers were a poor working class family relying on medicaid for health. Today, the deamonte driver dental project provides services in underserved neighborhoods in prince georges county, thanks to efforts conceived and launched by a dedicated coalition of the state. Belinda carvertaylor, and other committed dentists who aimed to eliminate health disparities by expanding access to quality oral health care.
The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of. Omalley announces childrens dental care advances southern. The childrens medicaid coverage had temporarily lapsed at the time deamonte was hospitalized. This is a wonderful opportunity for our students to insure the beginning of a lifetime of healthy dental habits. Queenstown has maintained and stored the dental vehicle for more than 10 years.
Since the death of deamonte driver, maryland has taken steps to increase access to dental care for those on medicaid insurance. She could not find one, and her 12yearold boy died. Dentists remember and respond to a childs preventable death. Deamonte driver dental care access improvement act of 2008. Hopefully it is a name that will never be forgotten. One specific effort is the student national dental associations impressions program, a studenttostudent recruitment effort wherein dental students expose elementary and high school students to the dental schools. Deamonte driver dental project prince georges county health department. The driver family, like many other families of modest means across the country, lack dental insurance. The deamonte driver dental project will provide services to medicaideligible and uninsured children in prince georges county.
Norris was helping alyce driver navigate the dental system for deshawn making more than 20 calls in order to find a dentist that would accept. In february 2007, twelve year old deamonte driver died of a toothache in maryland. Just before mounting a lumber flooring, it is crucial to find out about the on call lumber floor kinds. Dental cavities are the most common chronic disease of childhood and are closely linked. The infection got so bad it spread to his brain, said dr. I am committed to creating expansion programs that are replicable, sustainable, and successful in other parts of maryland and across the nation. Because of the support from oral health america, the deamonte driver dental project will ensure that children in our community who are most vulnerable to dental disease will receive the care they. The bakery, construction and home healthcare jobs she has held have not provided insurance. Devastated by the news of deamonte s death, a group of prince georges county dentists mobilized and sprang into action.
Currently, dentists that are part of the project are screening children in local schools. The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim. Deamonte driver s death was tragic but his legacy doesnt have to be, said congressman john sarbanes. Oral health america and tridentr gum celebrate children. The vast majority of dental disease is preventable, says calnon. Hazel harper, cofounded the deamonte driver dental project. That same year, the deamonte driver dental project mobile clinic visited its first school. Hazel harper, dds, mph this physicians daughter born to guyanese parents overcame gender and racial biases to become a president of the national dental association and the first project director of the deamonte driver dental project model.
These two new requirements alone will give millions of children financial access to dental health services, many for the first time. For children with special health care needs, dental hygiene is often low on the list of priorities for their parents and or caregivers. The tragic and needless death of deamonte driver, a victim of dental disease. Cardin remembers deamonte driver, calls for pediatric. Devastated by the news of deamontes death, a group of prince georges county dentists mobilized and sprang into action. Ottos detailed reporting on this tragic situation would help lead to congressional hearings nationally and the creation of the deamonte driver dental project mobile clinic in maryland along with a host of reforms that opened up dental. Dondre simpson rolls out access to dental care for people in need. It replicates and takes to scale key features of the deamonte driver dental project dddp, the award winning initiative based in prince georges county, md and the washington, dc metro area, that helped maryland move from dead last in oral health care to number one in the country. Belinda carvertaylor, and other committed dentists who aimed to.
Join hazel harper, dds, mph, for her discussion on the intersection of race and gender in dentistry. It was a deamonte on the upperleft side of his deamonte o n a cold morning in novemberthe new deamonte driver dental project mobile deamonte made its maiden voyage. Health affairs gratefully acknowledges the support of many funders. Deamonte drivers continuing legacy childrens defense fund. Deamonte driver dental project unveils first mobile clinic. Children in prince georges county will have better access to dental care after the death of a 12yearold pushed lawmakers and the medical community to examine the issue deamonte.
The national dental association has embarked on a national, communitybased, grassroots health initiative. Tragic results when dental care is out of reach dollars and. Jan 21, 2011 the driver children have never received routine dental attention, said their mother, alyce driver. May 25, 2011 one innovative solution helping to reach some underserved children like deamonte is mobile dental clinics staffed by volunteer dentists, and in november the deamonte driver dental project mobile unit, a large van now equipped as a threechair childrens dental clinic, made its first stop by spending the day at deamontes old school.
Vargas tells the tragic story of deamonte driver, a 12yearold boy who died in maryland as a result of lack of dental treatment following an infection. Twelveyearold boys tooth infection death spurs dental. Annual report of the childrens dental health project. Deamonte driver dental project in february, 2007, deamonte driver, a young boy from prince georges county, maryland died from a brain infection caused by bacteria from tooth decay. Harper cofounded the deamonte driver dental project dddp, a community based oral health initiative for children in prince george county, md. Outraged and, quite frankly, embarrassed by the avoidable death of deamonte driver in 2007, maryland governor martin omalley and other key policymakers decided to address access to oral health services. A private ribboncutting ceremony will be held may 6, 2010, on capitol hill as the deamonte driver dental project announces the arrival and launch of an initial mobile dental clinic. According to the childrens dental health project, the oral health of children has a significant and lasting impact on the productivity of our. Vargas tells the tragic story of deamonte driver, a 12yearold boy who died in maryland as a result of lack of dental treatment following an.
Deamonte driver remembered for national childrens dental. Deamonte driver, who died in 2007, aged 12, after an infection from an. The decaying realities behind deamonte drivers death. Deamonte driver dental project dddp partnership with the prince georges county health department the dddp provides diagnostic, preventive, and simple restorative dental services to lowincome students in a state of the art mobile dental unit that in fy 2016 visited 22 prince georges county title i schools.
Oct 16, 2018 it was a deamonte on the upperleft side of his deamonte o n a cold morning in novemberthe new deamonte driver dental project mobile deamonte made its maiden voyage. Freeman dental society foundation, under the auspices of the national dental association. Alyce driver, newly trained as a hygienist, saw her first patient from the van bearing the name of her son. Dentists remember and respond to a childs preventable. Deamonte drivers death from toothache grants more kids. Boys legacy lives on as needed dental services become more accessible. Nov, 2008 the statefunded mobile office for prince georges county, named the deamonte driver dental project, will visit nine local schools in an effort to screen and treat lowincome and underserved children needing dental care. The deamonte driver dental project is a grassroots endeavor which has already obtained partial funding from the state of maryland department of health and mental hygiene and has also received a groundswell of support from community partners including howard university college of dentistry, university of maryland college park, morgan state. The story of beauty, inequality, and the struggle for. Improving perinatal and infant oral health the improving perinatal and infant oral health project is well underway.
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