9-28-2024 4:02am

Mobile Dental Unit Gives Kids ‘Miles of Smiles’

Lesley Misko Editor

LEHIGH VALLEY, Pa. (Sept. 17, 2024) — Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital at Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) is stepping up children’s dental care with a mobile van – fondly called “Miles of Smiles.” Bringing dental services right to children by visiting the schools they attend, the service is for any child up to age 18 but is primarily concentrated at the elementary level.

Miles of Smiles will visit schools that have identified a gap in dental care and will expand their scope as the program progresses.

“This project is a shining example of LVHN’s commitment to all the people in our service area,” says Anne Baum, President of Lehigh Valley Reilly Children’s Hospital. “It’s one more way we are extending the high-quality care for which LVHN is known, to everyone, our entire population. This true dedication to public health is at the core of LVHN’s service.”

The new van, Miles 2.0, is a second-generation effort made possible through a $500,000 grant from Capital Blue Cross. Miles 1.0 had to be discontinued at the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. One dentist and a hygienist will work in two fully operational rooms inside the van. They will do fillings, extractions, cleanings, sealants, fluoride treatments and oral health education.

Schools are chosen based on contracting and the degree of need in the district. Parents and children are notified through flyers sent through the school, which include consents for parents to sign. Parents make the appointments, and the children are seen during their school day. In some cases, the van can take appointments before those regularly scheduled if there is parental consent. This might be for emergencies or for those who do not have access to a dentist otherwise.

“We are pleased to be able to provide dental services to children who might otherwise not have the opportunity to have this care,” says Deborah Campbell, DMD, chair of the dental department at LVHN. “We are working with the school districts to get children enrolled in Medicaid or CHIP to pay for the services.”

Since Pennsylvania mandates screenings for children in kindergarten, first, third and seventh grades, the dental team has been doing dental screenings in Allentown and Bethlehem as well as in the northern Pennsylvania counties. They identify children who need follow-up care and refer them to a dental office. In some cases, the van can be used for those follow ups.

“There are so many schools with children in need,” Dr. Campbell says. “We have school staff reaching out to us, desperate for services. We are glad to be able to do something about it.”

About Jefferson
Lehigh Valley Health Network is now proudly part of Jefferson Health. Nationally ranked, Jefferson, which is principally located in the greater Philadelphia region, Lehigh Valley and Northeastern Pennsylvania and southern New Jersey, is reimagining health care and higher education to create unparalleled value. Jefferson is more than 65,000 people strong, dedicated to providing the highest-quality, compassionate clinical care for patients; making our communities healthier and stronger; preparing tomorrow's professional leaders for 21st-century careers; and creating new knowledge through basic/programmatic, clinical and applied research. Thomas Jefferson University, home of Sidney Kimmel Medical College, Jefferson College of Nursing, and the Kanbar College of Design, Engineering and Commerce, dates back to 1824 and today comprises 10 colleges and three schools offering 200+ undergraduate and graduate programs to more than8,300 students. Jefferson Health, nationally ranked as one of the top 15 not-for-profit health care systems in the country and the largest provider in the Philadelphia and Lehigh Valley areas, serves patients through millions of encounters each year at 32 hospitals and more than 700 outpatient and urgent care locationsthroughout the region. Jefferson Health Plans is a not-for-profit managed health care organization providing a broad range of health coverage options in Pennsylvania and New Jersey for more than 35 years.