- Thank you for participating in GKAS® 2013
- Report final data by March 8
- Sign-up for the WDA e-Update
- Overview
- Post-event promotion materials
- GKAS® 2013 media coverage
- Media tools available
- Press releases
- Inviting elected officials
- Identifying kids in need
- Dental records
- HIPAA
- Liability and abandonment
- Archives
Thank you for participating in GKAS® 2013
A big Wisconsin Dental Association THANK YOU to dentists, dental team members, students and oral health advocates who participated in Give Kids A Smile®.
Final GKAS® 2013 numbers are still coming in, but an estimated 330 Wisconsin dentists and 230 dental hygienists, along with 530 other dental team members, dental, hygiene and assisting students, faculty and community advocates volunteered their time and skills to get underserved children out of pain.
More than 9,530 youngsters received an estimated $1.2 million in donated dental care this year.
Preliminary GKAS® numbers are nice, but final event numbers from 2013 events help the WDA accurately communicate dental charitable efforts to Wisconsin policymakers and media in the coming months.
Please take a few minutes and fill out the post-evaluation survey by Friday, March 8.
Since February 2003 when the Wisconsin Dental Association joined the American Dental Association in launching Give Kids A Smile®, volunteer dentists, dental team members, dental and hygiene students and community advocates have provided $6 million in care to 40,417 Wisconsin youngsters.
GKAS® children’s dental access program is held during National Children’s Dental Health Month in Wisconsin and enhances the oral health of children. Activities also highlight for policymakers the ongoing challenges that disadvantaged and children face in accessing dental care.
WDA dentists may choose to work with community clinics, public health departments or school nurses to identify and treat children most in need of dental care. Sometimes a local dental society organizes a large-scale GKAS® event in cooperation with a specific youth or social service organization.
In other Wisconsin communities, groups of school children welcome WDA dentists into their classrooms to learn about good daily oral hygiene practices, while other students visit private dental practices where they receive basic services such as teeth cleaning and exams at no cost to their families.
The WDA does not make referrals for care, because GKAS® activities vary substantially across Wisconsin depending on local dentists’ involvement.
Public individuals seeking more information about GKAS® programs should click here.
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Post-event promotion materials
Submitting a post-event letter to the editor or press release is a way to publicly thank volunteers and sponsors who helped make your GKAS® event a success and help tell the story that dentists do serve their communities.
Word document templates are available and can be customized for your event:
Suggested email subject line: Local dentists help low-income children
It is important to note that most letters are limited to 250-350 words. Verify letter submission policies on newspaper websites.
Newsroom email addresses can be found media websites.
Please also share any submissions to your local media with Carol Weber at cweber@wda.org.
Thank you for helping the WDA spread the word about GKAS® 2013!
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The WDA has resources to help you if contacted by the media.
- How to do media interviews – Quick tips on how to talk to media or government representatives.
- Media talking points – Includes facts on GKAS® 2013, a brief history of the nationwide program and the WDA core messages on reducing barriers to care.
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The WDA launched one statewide and five regional press releases detailing GKAS® activities in Wisconsin.
Those who registered their event(s) with the WDA were included in their respective regional release.
- Statewide
- Northwest Region 1
- Northeast Region 2
- Greater Milwaukee Region 3
- Southeast Region 4
- Southwest Region 5
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With the GKAS® program entering its 11th year, it is more important than ever to invite elected officials to your event.
This interaction helps put real faces on the barriers to care issue and demonstrate how Wisconsin dentists and dental teams continue to serve low-income children.
A customizable invite and sample letter are available for download.
Find contact information for your local legislators in the Wisconsin Legislative Directory.
If you need assistance inviting your legislator, please call 888-538-8932.
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Post-event promotion materials
Submitting a post-event letter to the editor or press release is a way to publicly thank volunteers and sponsors who helped make your GKAS® event a success and help tell the story that dentists do serve their communities.
Word document templates are available and can be customized for your event:
Suggested email subject line: Local dentists help low-income children
It is important to note that most letters are limited to 250-350 words. Verify letter submission policies on newspaper websites.
Newsroom email addresses can be found media websites.
Please also share any submissions to your local media with Carol Weber at cweber@wda.org.
Thank you for helping the WDA spread the word about GKAS® 2013!
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Momentum for GKAS® can be generated by state and local dental societies, dentists in private and public practice, dental schools, dental health insurance companies and industry partners working in local coalitions. Such partnerships can:
- Identify key access barriers in the provision of oral health care to target populations
- Explore alternative ways to address these barriers
- Create opportunities for community members to join together in expanding access
- Develop a sustainable action plan for implementing local oral health care access programs for the target populations
The following are examples of local resources that might help you identify low-income children in your area who would benefit from GKAS® care:
- Boys and Girls Clubs
- Faith-based groups
- Head Start centers
- Social service agencies
- United Way chapters
- Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction’s Public School District Directory (look up your local school district, contact them and ask the school nurse to help you find low-income children in need of dental care)
- Wisconsin Local Public Health Departments
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Registering with the WDA and ADA also makes you eligible for free pediatric records.
The Dental Record, a division of WDA Professional Services, is again providing two of its forms – Dental Medical History and Children’s Clinical Examination – for use in conjunction with GKAS® events.
The Child Medical History form also is available in Spanish.
Participants should not photocopy the copyrighted forms and are asked to purchase any forms for non-GKAS® needs directly through The Dental Record.
After registering your event with the WDA and ADA, forms can be requested by calling 800-243-4675 or www.dentalrecord.com.
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GKAS® does not involve filing claims, so participating dentists are not required to use Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act privacy forms for their events.
However, the ADA recommends the use of HIPAA privacy forms as a “good faith” effort and to alleviate any concerns parents or volunteers might have.
The ADA developed the following forms in English and Spanish for use with GKAS®:
Notice of Privacy Practices
Acknowledgement Form
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The following documents are posted in Microsoft Word format so they can be personalized for your event:
The ADA has provided further HIPAA information in the Legal, Insurance and Risk-Management Considerations Guide.
