Our Mission
Molar Express Minnesota’s mission
is to improve the health of the Twin Cities’ community by removing
barriers to dental care and creating healthy smiles for low-income
children.
We’re
Mobile. Molar Express Minnesota was formed to operate a
40-foot vehicle, fully outfitted with state-of-the-art dental equipment
that will go directly to neighborhoods where kids live and go to school.
- Dental care will be
comprehensive. Exams and x-rays, routine restorative
services for primary and permanent teeth, fluoride treatments,
sealants, and extractions are all provided.
- Dental education
will be preventative. Preventing future tooth
decay will be a critical component of each dental visit. Every
child will be given a child-friendly one-on-one training to help
them maintain their healthy smile, as well as toothpaste, a toothbrush,
dental floss, and helpful tip sheets to use at home. Parents
can reinforce new behaviors and use the written tip sheets to
improve their health and the health of their other children—improving
the future health of the entire family.
We’re Strategic. What makes
Molar Express Minnesota truly unique is that it partners with trusted
community organizations that have perfected successful communication
channels to reach low-income parents. Such partnerships minimize
overhead costs, reduce duplication, and foster collaboration instead
of animosity within neighborhoods. This strategy ensures that the
number of kids who are helped, and funders’ contributions, are maximized.
We’re Forward-Thinking. In addition
to treating the immediate dental needs of low-income children, MEM’s
vision is to begin pursuing three additional activities that will
help us fulfill our mission—improving the health of the community
and its children. These are:
- Develop ongoing
relationships with dentists. Children need regular
reinforcement of information to prevent future tooth decay. In
the event a future cavity develops, immediate corrective action
is needed. MEM will connect families with neighborhood dentists
so that children have a local dentist to visit for follow-up care.
- Provide a gateway
to enrollment. It is estimated that 78% of eligible
families have not signed up for medical insurance (Children’s
Defense Fund Minnesota, 2007). Living without preventative and
catastrophic medical care reduces the health of the whole family
and increases the public costs of health care because parents
must resort to emergency room visits for problems that could be
prevented by a visit to a doctor’s office. MEM will help families
obtain insurance by partnering with Portico Healthnet, an organization
that helps families access medical programs and complete the necessary
paperwork.
- Create systems change.
MEM will assemble key stakeholders and spearhead an action plan
to attack the root cause of limited availability of dental care
for low-income children.
As every community leader and parent will
attest, ultimately there is nothing more important than the health
of our children. |
