Each Autumn, the Columbus Community Hospital Foundation celebrates the life of Betty Becker through a memorial walk. Betty is a former R.N., hospital volunteer and all around awe-inspiring lady who passed away in 2007. The Third Annual event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 29 from 3 - 6 p.m. at the Columbus Community Hospital Wellness Walkway. The walk is hosted by the CCH Foundation in combination with the Step-Sisters, a local ladies entertaining group that Betty organized 11 years ago. Joanne Sampson, Step-Sister and CCH Foundation President says, “We wanted to do something to recognize Betty and so we worked with the CCH Foundation Director and came up with the idea for the walk.”

Each year, the funds raised are put to use in the community to address a current need. Step-Sister Emogene “Johnnie” Johnson, says “Betty was so open to everyone—young and elderly. I can sense her approval that we are helping people. All of this work is because of her.”

The proceeds from last year’s walk are dedicated to improving the dental health of community children in need. “Recognizing the importance of good dental health impacts your overall health,” says Lu Ann Reuter, CCH Emergency Department Supervisor. “Our goal is to meet the health and wellness of all individuals.”

According to a 2005 Children’s Dental Health Project Report, low-income children who have their first dental exam by age one are less likely to visit emergency rooms for oral health problems or require restorative care. Additionally, five-year-olds who had their first dental visit at age one have incurred oral health-related costs at a rate about one-half that of their peers who don’t see a dentist until age five.

In hopes to improve these statistics for our community, the Betty Becker walk funds have been used to sponsor age appropriate dental kits for uninsured children who seek emergency assistance at the CCH Emergency Department. “These dental packets will benefit those who have limited access to dental care,” says Reuter. “Educating parents and kids on dental care by providing information about the negative effects of drinking soda all day and proper brushing is one preventative step we can take as healthcare providers, and it was made possible by the Betty Becker Walk.”

CCH partnered with Columbus Family Dental, a dentist office in Columbus, to determine the contents and create the kits which will target multiple age ranges. Each packet includes a spin toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, lip balm, a coloring book and an educational pamphlet on proper oral health techniques. “We hope that this program will help to stimulate awareness about oral health and make dental health more fun for kids,” says Adam L. Forster, D.D.S.

Funds from this year’s walk will be used to augment the program, by providing funding for additional education for new parents. The Betty Becker Walk committee is currently exploring other options such as dental screenings, and a dental sealant program in the Columbus and Fall River School Districts.

How great is the need?

A Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article from 2009 that focused on dental care for low-income children in Wisconsin indicated that fewer than one in four children on BadgerCare saw a dentist in 2007. Thus indicating that even those children who have access to BadgerCare were not using it and over 300,000 children at that time were not seeing a dentist regularly.

Dr. Forster says that these findings could be attributed to lack of availability of dentists, including those that will accept BadgerCare. He explains that access to dental care for children on state programs needs to be improved. “That includes more dentists treating children on BadgerCare,” he says, “and for that to happen, state legislators need to increase the low reimbursement rates for providers servicing patients on that program.”

“Children’s dental health issues are definitely a concern for the low-income and uninsured children of our community, but they should be important to all families,” Dr. Forster adds. The Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin reports that approximately 55 percent of third graders (age eight to nine) in Wisconsin have a history of dental caries (cavity). And a 2008-09 study of Head Start program children age three to five in Wisconsin indicated that 36 percent had a history of dental caries and 25 percent of the children had untreated decay.

“Children require guidance,” Dr. Forster says, “it is important that good oral health habits are cemented by age six, because that is when permanent teeth begin coming in.” This instruction should include how often to brush and floss, the proper techniques and how to make healthy diet choices.

For more information about or to participate in the Betty Becker Memorial Walk call the CCH Foundation Office at 920-623-1370 or complete the donation form at the back of this newsletter.

For more information about children’s dental health visit: The Wisconsin Dental Association at www.wda.org and The Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin at www.chawisconsin.org.