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Health board to invest millions in kids teeth
Media information
For immediate release
Date: 19 May 2009
Health board to invest millions in kids teeth
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) will spend $9.75 million on Waikato children's smiles over the next year with new on-site school dental facilities and additional mobile clinics.
The DHB will build nine new dental clinics, eight on school grounds, and increase its mobile clinic fleet from six to 15 vehicles.
School dental service manager Diane Pevreal is excited about the changes.
"Major investment is required in oral health services for children and this is a wonderful opportunity to get it right," she said.
The new clinics will be a great improvement on the existing facilities.
"We're working from the ground up so they'll be designed and built specifically for their purpose," Ms Pevreal said
"They'll allow for new and more advanced treatment to be provided at more schools in a safe, comfortable and private setting."
The mobile clinics, built locally at CI Munro, will also be better equipped for new treatment options and will be more easily accessible for rural and low decile schools.
There are currently 78 school-owned dental facilities in the Waikato; 77 of them need replacing or refurbishment to comply with new legislation.
After consulting with schools in 2007,
Waikato DHB chose the following schools for new clinic
sites:
* Bankwood Primary
* Frankton
Primary
* Melville Primary
* Silverdale
Normal
* Morrinsville Primary
* Cambridge
Primary
* Te Awamutu Primary
* Firth Primary,
Matamata
Tokoroa Hospital will also have a new clinic for surrounding schools to use and the DHB will continue to operate out of Crawshaw School's existing facilities.
Ms Pevreal said lower decile schools were priority for an on-site clinic but the DHB also considered school size and the travel distances.
"Research has shown that children and their parents or caregivers from higher decile schools are more likely to travel to find services when they need them.
"We were mindful of this but wanted to ensure that services were accessible for everyone.
"We needed an element of flexibility and the mobile clinics are perfect for this. We'll also have the ability to relocate the fixed facilities if needed," Ms Pevreal said.
Ms Pevreal said when the new clinics are ready to open the DHB's dental services will vacate the old clinics.
"Schools that don't have a new clinic will be provided with a mobile service or students can visit the nearest school clinic for oral healthcare.
"The realignment of these services will mean that children most at risk of having poor oral health get the care they need," she said.
Waikato DHB will meet with schools that are to receive a new clinic over the next month to agree on the next steps before construction can begin.
The DHB will hire additional staff to work in the new on-site and mobile clinics.
The realignment of services is a result of the Ministry of Health's new strategic vision (Good Oral Health for All, for Life), released in 2006, that identified a decline in the oral health of young people.
Improvements made in earlier years had begun to reverse.
This ministry required each DHB to determine how best to re-orientate their services.
Ms Pevreal said the Waikato review showed that existing school dental services were hampered by many old facilities, all only used part-time, that no longer met community or service needs.
In 2007, Waikato DHB presented an oral health business case to the Ministry of Health, worth more than $20 million, for 16 new on-site school clinics and increasing the mobile fleet from six to 16 vehicles.
Waikato DHB consulted widely with schools and communities prior to finalising this plan but the ministry was unable to provide this level of funding.
After revising the proposal last year, Waikato DHB received funding approval last month for $9.7 million.
More information about the changes to school dental services is available online at: www.waikatodhb.govt.nz.
ENDS
Waikato District Health Board
Healthy People. Excellent Care
Waikato District Health Board (DHB) employs over 6500 people and plans, funds and provides hospital and health services to more than 391,770 people in a region covering eight per cent of New Zealand.
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