Nearly Six Million Floridians Aren’t Smiling
Sadly, there’s little to smile about in Florida this February, which is National Children’s Dental Health Month. The state of children’s oral health in Florida is abysmal, indeed some would say in crisis. The latest data clearly demonstrates that the oral health of Florida’s children is among the worst in the nation. Even worse, because oral health is directly linked to overall physical health, there most certainly will be long term consequences for many. Because children are our future, this should be a concern to everyone. Florida Leads the Nation in Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas – Almost 6 million Floridians live in communities that do not have an adequate number of ...Read More
New Coalition Forms to Solve Florida’s Oral Health Crisis
Communities across Florida are struggling with chronic dental access shortages and serious consideration is needed regarding widespread improvements. Poor oral health resulting from dental access shortages have risen to public health crisis levels. Florida leads the nation in the number of individuals living in areas designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas. Sixty-six of Florida’s 67 counties have shortages of dentists. According to Betty Kabel, Director of Dental Outreach at North Florida Medical Centers, trying to find a dentist for children on Medicaid of without health insurance is challenging. "I recently saw a young boy at an elementary school who was in so much dental pain that he was crying in a ...Read More
Oral Health: Florida’s Untreated Public Health Crisis
COVID-19. Toxic blue-green algae. Asthma. Monkey Pox. Hardly a day goes by without a public health challenge making headlines in Florida. A growing, yet often untreated, public health crisis is the rotten state of many Floridians’ teeth and gums. Oral health problems don’t just affect an individual’s teeth. They affect our physical health as well as our self-image, emotional well-being, and even the ability to chew, speak, kiss, or smile – the very essence of our humanity. An epidemic five times more common than asthma “The connection between oral health and overall health and well-being is well-documented,” stated Dr. Frank Catalanotto, founder of Floridians for Dental Access, a coalition of 60 organizations ...Read More
Americans Overwhelmingly Support Investments in Children, National Poll Shows
By a 6-to-1 margin, voters agree too little is being spent Americans may be more divided on politics than ever before, but there’s one thing nearly everyone agrees upon: children are our future. Now, a national poll backs up this sentiment with hard data. By a 6-to-1 margin American voters believe the federal government is spending too little on the safety, health, and overall well-being of our children, according to a recent national poll of 1,000 likely voters by Lake Research Partners. The poll showed that Americans across divisions such as race, gender, or political party all consistently support permanently funding programs such as the Child Tax Credit (CTC) and the Children’s ...Read More
Report: Bold policy reforms needed to stop revolving door of juvenile justice
Alarming numbers of girls in Florida are experiencing sexual victimization, interpersonal violence, unaddressed mental health issues, homelessness, and involvement in the juvenile justice system. One in 10 report they have been raped, one in eight do not feel safe in their neighborhoods and one in five has experienced suicidal thoughts. A new report from the Delores Barr Weaver Policy Center: The Justice for Girls Blueprint: The Way Forward for Florida, offers much-needed reform solutions and scores Florida’s progress on implementing policy and practice changes called for in the 2008 Justice for Girls: Blueprint report, endorsed by 125 stakeholders with vast experience in juvenile justice. Compared to 2008, the majority (66%) of girl-specific ...Read More
Florida Urged to Rejoin Federal Youth Risk Behavior Survey
While Florida’s and the nation’s attention is rightfully focused on the latest school shooting in Texas, we want to also bring wide attention to the formal request for Florida to reconsider its decision to move away from administering the federal Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS). In case you missed it, here are some of the latest news articles on this important issue: Orlando Sentinel Tampa Bay Times Florida Politics For the past 30 years, data from YRBS has been used broadly among numerous organizations in developing intervention and prevention strategies that better serve children and families.