The most important thing we can do for ourselves is to make the conscious choice to take care
of our health.
A big part of that is by preventing diseases that could be harmful or even fatal to us.
But what about those who rely on us to take care of them?
Diseases that were once widespread with high mortality rates among children have been drastically
reduced, many to the point of full eradication, thanks to the creation of Vaccines.
However, the dangers of contracting these diseases remain high without the proper Immunizations
and health screenings…especially in underserved populations.
And that is why the Oklahoma Caring Foundation has made it their mission to provide immunizations,
health screenings, and dental services to children who are Medicaid eligible, uninsured,
or Native American, at no cost, through their Caring Van program.
Because keeping our children healthy is the key to preventing future outbreaks.
Schools require immunizations in order for children to enroll.
However, many families cannot afford the cost of going to a doctor.
The Caring Vans are able to travel to all 77 counties in Oklahoma, providing those immunizations
at no cost for families who qualify.
But it's not just immunizations that keep kids healthy.
The vans also provide BMI screenings and dental checkups to help keep parents and their children
on the road to a healthy life.
But we can't do it alone.
We work with local and state health departments, Tribal and Latino organizations, child care
facilities, schools and other community partners to reach the most children as possible.
Partnerships allow us to impact public health in ways we couldn't on our own.
We are building relationships in communities across the state, and bringing public health
services to the people in these communities.
Nurses from health departments ride along, and are the ones who administer the immunizations
and screenings, providing an experienced and licensed partner in our daily operations.
Ellen Niemitalo: "The partnership between the Tulsa Health Department and the Oklahoma
Caring Foundation impacts the health of Tulsa County.
We know that providing vaccines to a child, protects not only that child against that
disease, but the family of that child; the community of that child.
We know that we are raising the immunization level of a community, and once it reaches
a certain level, we know the instances of vaccine-preventable diseases significantly
will decline."
Partnerships have opened up new opportunities for us to serve Oklahomans.
This year, we introduced the new Dental Caring Van, which was made possible through our partnership
with the Oklahoma Dental Foundation.
John Wilguess: "Our mission is really about building relationships to improve oral health
around the state of Oklahoma.
And, having the Caring Foundation as a partner in all of this helps us achieve things that
we would never have been able to before.
And so we think overall, this is going to help us be more effective in providing dental
care, it's going to help keep costs down so we can provide care to more people, and
it's going to, in the end, make sure that we are going to see more Oklahomans that are
desperate for dental care be able to get that when we come to them."
The Oklahoma Caring Foundation and its partners do this for one reason…the future of our
children.
They deserve to live healthy and happy lives, and we are dedicated to helping them do just
that…every day.
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