FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 4, 2018
Contacts: Leah C. Payne, Director of Public Affairs, Schools of Medicine and Pharmacy, 304-691-1713; Cyndi Schu, Director of Marketing and Communications, Oral Health America, 312-836-9900 x.29

Marshall oral health program honored with national award

HUNTINGTON, W.Va. - The Marshall University/West Virginia Oral Health Coalition has received the 2018 Smiles Across America® Program Champion Award from Oral Health America (OHA) for its work in advancing oral health for low-income children in rural West Virginia and its contributions to the OHA webinar series.

The Marshall University/West Virginia Oral Health Coalition was a founding partner of Smiles Across America, which helps address, and educate children and their families on, the importance of oral health care. It was also instrumental in establishing the West Virginia Healthy Kids and Families Coalition, a nonprofit that brings together organizations and state agencies in a collaborative effort to improve the health of West Virginia children and families.

“Since 2006, Marshall University/West Virginia Oral Health Coalition has partnered with OHA to provide service to nearly 100,000 under- and uninsured children in rural West Virginia,” said Beth Truett, president and CEO of Oral Health America. “As partners in our Webinar Series, they provide Continuing Education Credits to oral health professionals, nurses and social workers, helping to increase attendance at our 20 annual Webinars from 30 to 150 attendees. We are honored to present them the first Smiles Across America Program Champion Award.”

The Marshall University/West Virginia Oral Health Coalition is a community outreach affiliated with the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and is dedicated to improving the oral health of all West Virginians. 

“The coalition has broken down silos by bringing together local resources, such as schools and dentists, to do things that neither could do alone,” said Richard Crespo, Ph.D., is a professor in the department of family and community health at the Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine and director of the school’s oral health program. 

Representatives of the Marshall University/West Virginia Oral Health Coalition celebrate receiving the 2018 Smiles Across America® Program Champion Award from Oral Health America at the 2018 Gala in Chicago on February 21.  Pictured from left to right are: Wendy Mosteller, Karen Crespo, Bobbi Jo Muto, Gina Sharps and Dr. Richard Crespo.

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About Oral Health America
OHA’s mission is to change lives by connecting communities with resources to drive access to care, increase health literacy and advocate for policies that improve overall health through better oral health for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. Through Smiles Across America®, which serves 501,000 children annually, the Wisdom Tooth Project®, which reaches tens of thousands of older adults, and the Campaign for Oral Health Equity, which prioritizes oral health alongside other chronic diseases, OHA helps Americans of all ages to have healthy mouths and to understand the importance of oral health for overall health. For more information about Oral Health America, please visit oralhealthamerica.org.

Date Posted: Wednesday, April 4, 2018