Children’s Volunteer Health Network (CVHN) recently accepted a grant totaling $35,000 from the Helping Hands Foundation of the All In Credit Union. These funds will go towards a second mobile dental unit to focus on restorative dental care in the Okaloosa and Walton Counties. “The children served in our preventive program are in great need of restorative care. Many of these families do not have the resources to establish a dental home. We recently visited a school and conducted exams and x-rays on 170 students. There was total of 306 teeth with decay. 70 of those teeth were permanent.” Said Denise Lisciotti, CVHN’s Mobile Dental Program Manager. “With a restorative program, we would be able to restore these teeth to prevent premature tooth loss and infection. So many children have toothaches, which interfere with their learning at school. Infection in the mouth can also lead to serious health issues and visits to the emergency room. What a blessing it would be to these students and parents to be able to receive comprehensive dental care.”

This grant will allow CVHN to purchase a second mobile dental unit to focus on providing restorative dental care to children in need throughout Okaloosa and Walton Counties. The restorative program will complement the existing mobile preventative program that travels to elementary schools in both counties.

Bobby Michael, All In Credit Union President/CEO, commented, “When developing this project, one of our objectives was to provide funds to organizations whose dreams exceed their existing capital.  CVHN offers a service, unlike other non-profit organizations we have seen. We are pleased to assist in their cause.”

The restorative mobile unit will consist of a dentist, dental assistant, and registered dental hygienist. The difference is, the mobile restorative program would offer services such as fillings, extractions, and root canals as compared to the preventative program that provides free dental exams, x-rays, assessments, cleanings, sealants, and oral health education.

“There is a culture of giving that permeates this organization. The work CVHN does for the Walton and Okaloosa County areas stood out to the team reviewing the grant applications,” said Lisa Hales, All In’s Senior Vice President of Member Experience, who is also the Board Chair of the Helping Hands Foundation. “We are honored to be able to assist CVHN with their next mobile dental unit. As we like to say, ‘We Give Back’ is more than a hashtag at All In.”

CVHN is a faith-based focused on providing children in need the opportunity to flourish through the delivery of mobile dental services, mental health support, and basic vision assessment and treatments. The dental program currently serves more than 1,000 students per school year and the number served continues to grow. Over the next three years, CVHN will expand the dental and vision programs to provide greater access to children. Plans include the offering of restorative dental care to complement the preventative dental care program and the expansion of their vision program to reach more of the area’s students. CVHN is also introducing a new initiative focused on the behavioral and mental health of children in need who are facing serious levels of increased stress, anxiety, and depression. For more information, please contact Brian Lowe at 850-622-3200 x102 or brian@cvhnkids.org.

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