10 • THE mississippi link www.mississippilink.comApril 12 - 18, 2012

I have some great loves in my life: God and His Son Je-sus Christ, my wife Marcia, our three children and their families, including four grandchildren, my church New Horizon Church International, Voice of Calvary Ministries (VOCM), my adopted home state of Mississippi, and es-pecially west Jackson. I also love exercise - especially biking. It is in my DNA!

God has given me a vision to help VOCM, my church and my community by doing what I love to do.

On April 24, I will be 63-years-old. I have organized a bike-a-thon April 21 called, “On the Road to Health.” The premier event is a 63-mile “Extreme Chal-lenge Ride” - a mile for every year of my life. (Shorter rides are also available.)

A pre-ride party is scheduled for Friday night, April 2 at The Walter

Payton Center on the campus of Jackson State University.

I am seeking friends who would support my ride by pledging $1 or more per mile that I ride.

One-third of the funds raised will be given to the Ameri-can Cancer Society, as I am a cancer con-queror. One-third will be given

to New Horizon Min-istries to help build a swimming pool at

our athletic center for neighbor-hood kids, and one-third will go to VOCM to help develop our com-munity park. Would you be one of my donors?

You could also help me tremen-dously by sharing this information with your [friends and] contacts, especially to those you know who have a history with VOCM.

Mississippi is the unhealthiest state in the United States, leading

the nation in obesity and child-hood obesity.

This event will focus on exer-cise, healthy eating and early can-cer detection. I hope you will join with us.

Please visit our website at www.vocm.org to donate or, if you’re close enough, join us for the ride. Just click on “Sponsorship” to do-nate, or “Register” to ride.

Blessings!Phil Reed is president and

chief executive officer of Voice of Calvary Ministries, Jackson, Miss.

HEALTH

Biking is in my DNA

BATTLE CREEK, Mich. - An extensive review of the lit-erature documenting care pro-vided by dental therapists and clinical outcomes worldwide indicates that they offer safe, effective dental care to chil-dren. Released recently by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the study reviews more than 1,100 reports regarding dental thera-pists and their work in various countries.

The report documents evi-dence that dental therapists can effectively expand access to dental care, especially for children, and that the care they provide is technically compe-tent, safe and effective. In ad-dition, the review also showed that the public values the role of dental therapists, and there is strong patient and parental support for their work.

In the United States, dental therapists practice in Alaska and Minnesota, but there is movement in other states to use these providers to expand access to needed dental care. Numerous federal reports, the Institute of Medicine, states, tribes and foundations, such

as the Kellogg Foundation and the Pew Charitable Trusts, have recommended exploring midlevel providers, such as dental therapists, as a way to solve the current dental access crisis.

The report reviews the histo-ry and practice of dental thera-pists in 54 countries ranging from the United States to the United Kingdom to Malaysia. Five of the top six countries on the Human Development Index - the United States, Can-ada, New Zealand, Australia and the Netherlands - employ dental therapists in their oral health workforce.

The report found no evi-dence to indicate that the public perspective of dental therapists in any country was other than positive, according to David Nash, DMD, MS, EdD, the William R. Willard Professor of Dental Education, Professor of Pediatric Dentist-ry at the College of Dentistry at the University of Kentucky, and the principal author. Nash is a member of the American Dental Association and the American Academy of Pediat-ric Dentistry.

“There is no question that

dental therapists provide care for children that is high qual-ity and safe. None of the 1,100 documents reviewed found any evidence of compromises to children’s safety or quality of care,” said Nash. “Given these findings, the profession of dentistry should support adding dental therapists to the oral health care team.”

The report, A Review of the Global Literature on Dental Therapists: In the Context of the Movement to Add Dental Therapists to the Oral Health Workforce in the United States, comes at a time when the United States is struggling to expand access to dental care, especially for children. Tooth decay is the number one chronic illness for children, more prevalent than asthma. And close to 50 million peo-ple in the United States live in areas where they cannot gain easy access to a dentist.

In 2014, as part of the Af-fordable Care Act, an addi-tional 5.3 million children will be entitled to dental coverage under Medicaid, according to the Pew Charitable Trusts. Yet few dentists treat Medicaid patients now and there have

been wide reports of children on Medicaid waiting months to get care.

“Barriers to dental care have created significant oral health inequities for children in this country,” said Sterling K. Speirn, president and CEO of the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. “And this greatly impacts their overall health and well-being. No child should have to suffer the pain of a toothache or an abscess. We need to strongly consider expanding the num-ber of dental professionals who can offer routine, preven-tive care to children in their own communities.”

Historically, the focus of dental therapists has been on the prevention and treatment of dental disease in children. In many countries, such as New Zealand and Australia, dental therapists provide their services through the school system. Dental therapists typi-cally provide routine care that includes cleanings, filling cavities, preventive care and extractions of children’s teeth. While the scope of practice has typically been restricted to children, a few countries are beginning to permit den-

tal therapists to treat adults as well.

According to the report, countries using dental thera-pists have been effective in improving access and the care provided to children. In New Zealand, 96 percent of school age children, and 49 percent of preschool children are en-rolled in the school dental service and cared for by den-tal therapists. In Malaysia, 96 percent of elementary school children and 67 percent of secondary school children are enrolled in the school dental service staffed by dental thera-pists. And in Hong Kong, 95 percent of children have ac-cess to dental care in school clinics.

The survey also indicated that dental therapist-led school dental services are cost-effec-tive. School dental programs in New Zealand and Australia cost less than private fee-for-service systems. The average cost of school-based dental care in New Zealand in 2010-11 was $99 per child, which included all preventive care and treatment of cavities. In the private sector, the cost would be similar for just one

examination visit, and a sim-ple restoration would cost an additional $99.

About the W.K. Kellogg Foundation

The W.K. Kellogg Founda-tion (WKKF), founded in 1930 as an independent, private foundation, is among the larg-est philanthropic foundations in the United States. Guided by the belief that all children should have an equal oppor-tunity to thrive, WKKF works with communities to create conditions for vulnerable chil-dren so they can realize their full potential in school, work and life.

The Kellogg Foundation is based in Battle Creek, Mich., and works throughout the United States and internation-ally, as well as with sovereign tribes. Special emphasis is paid to priority places where there are high concentrations of poverty and where children face significant barriers to success. WKKF priority plac-es in the U.S. are in Michigan, Mississippi, New Mexico and New Orleans; and internation-ally, are in Mexico and Haiti.

For more information, visit www.wkkf.org

BOLTON - United States Rep-resentative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) announced The United States Department of Health and Human Services has awarded a grant in the amount of $14,133,348 to the Mississippi State Depart-

ment of Health for the Ryan White Care Act Title II.

Title II provides funding to states and is used for such services as: 1) HIV testing; 2) education and pre-vention; 3) home and community based health care; 4) HIV medica-tions through the State AIDS Drug

Assistance Program (ADAP); 5) local agencies that assess the needs of the HIV population and assist in implementation of services to meet those needs; and 6) direct health support services

For more information call 301-443-1890.

Comprehensive review of dental therapists worldwide shows effective dental care to millions of children

Congressman Thompson announces $14,133,348 award to The Mississippi State Department of HealthThe Mississippi Link Newswire

By Phil ReedVOCM

Reed

(NAPSA) - Black Americans may need to take the latest heart disease research to heart.

More than 40 percent of black adults living in the U.S. have high blood pressure, a risk factor for heart disease. For black Americans, high blood pressure tends to be more common and more severe - it’s a major reason why black Americans are more likely to suffer from heart failure and die at an earlier age.

Fortunately, there are lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk. The first step is to under-stand which risk factors affect you and what actions you can take to lower the risk you can control.

For example, the risk is higher for anyone who has a family his-tory of heart disease or diabetes. In-creasing age is another risk factor. Women are at a higher risk when they reach 55 or become postmeno-pausal. Men are at a higher risk when they reach age 45. These are risk factors you cannot control.

Risk factors you can control are diabetes, smoking, blood pressure

of 140/90 mmHg or higher, and total cholesterol over 200. If you don’t exercise, that’s also a risk. Being 30 pounds or more over your recommended weight and having a waist measurement of 40 inches or over for men and 35 inches for women are also risk factors.

“It’s important to take action to minimize the risks that you can control, especially if you are a black woman, since nearly half of all black women living in the U.S. have some form of heart disease,” said Dr. Mark Jenkins, spokesper-son for Close the Gap, an educa-tional initiative sponsored by Bos-ton Scientific.

Close the Gap encourages peo-ple to be responsible for their heart health by following these tips:

• If you smoke, quit.• Aim for a healthy weight.• Get moving. Make a commit-

ment to be more physically active. Every day, aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity such as taking a brisk walk, raking, danc-ing, lightweight lifting, houseclean-ing or gardening.

• Eat for heart health. Choose a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat, sodium and cholesterol. Include whole grains, vegetables and fruits.

• Know your numbers. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure, cholesterol (total, HDL, LDL and triglycerides) and blood glucose. Work with your doctor to improve any numbers that are not normal.

To learn more about heart dis-ease, visit YourHeartHealth.com and facebook.com/ClosetheGap, twitter.com/YourHeartHealth and youtube.com/YourHeartHealth.

What black Americans need to know about heart diseasenapsnet.com

Aim for 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every day.

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