Serving those who served us

National veteran care program launches at SmileCon

The ADA Foundation’s Give Veterans A Smile program will launch nationally at SmileCon, and attendees will have a number of events and continuing education opportunities to learn more about providing services to those who have served.

ADA and ADA Foundation leaders and presenters will call attention to the unmet oral health needs of veterans by encouraging dentists to provide pro bono oral health care services to underserved veterans and providing resources to support those efforts. SmileCon will be held in New Orleans from Oct. 17-19.

“I am proud to be a part of the Give Veterans A Smile program,” said Mark A. Vitale, D.M.D., chairperson of the Give Veterans A Smile National Advisory Committee. “Each time I look at the Bronze Star that my father received for his service in the Army during the Korean War, it reminds me of the great opportunity dentists and their team members have to give back to those who were willing to sacrifice their lives for our freedom.”

The ADA Foundation’s Give Veterans A Smile celebration, an awareness and fundraising event, will be held Oct. 19 at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. The event is scheduled for 6-8 p.m., and tickets cost $150 ($75 for students). Attendees will hear inspiring messages, including one from Staff Sergeant David Bellavia, Medal of Honor recipient. The ticket includes food, beverages and entertainment, and any funds raised over the cost of the event will be used to support efforts to connect veterans to oral health care. Business dress is requested, and attendees are invited to wear their service dress uniform, if applicable. Event tickets can be purchased in the SmileCon registration system.

Colonel and Major level corporate sponsors include Liberty Dental Plan Corporation and Henry Schein Cares. Several state dental societies are also sponsoring the celebration, including the Pennsylvania Dental Association, Texas Dental Association, New York State Dental Association, Florida Dental Association Foundation and the Fourth Trustee District which includes New Jersey, Delaware, District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands and Maryland.

“It’s truly unthinkable that so many veterans, having selflessly served their country, face challenges accessing good oral health care. To see my state association support the ADA Foundation as it puts so much energy into GVAS fills me with pride as a member dentist and gratitude as a veteran,” said Lt. Col. Theodore “Ted” J. Rockwell, who is retired from the U.S. Air Force and the president-elect of the Pennsylvania Dental Association.

“The ADA Fourth trustee district, which represents the Uniformed Services, is proud to be a Colonel Sponsor of the ADA Foundation's Give Veterans A Smile program,” said Dr. Vitale. “It is fitting that the ADA, the leading authority on oral health care, is bringing to light the unmet oral health needs of our veterans. We are glad to be part of the mission to provide needed care to those who have been willing to sacrifice their lives for our freedom.”

The program will be officially kicked off during a mainstage session titled Give Veterans A Smile: Engage, Educate, Empower, scheduled for Oct. 18 from 8:30-10 a.m. The session will educate attendees about the oral health needs of veterans and what resources are available to veterans and provide details about the Give Veterans A Smile program framework. The audience will hear from representatives of the ADA, ADA Foundation, Veterans Administration, American Institute of Dental Public Health, U.S.Rep. Drew Ferguson, D.M.D., R-Ga., and Col. Paul Colthirst.

The Give Veterans A Smile Pack & Give Back Event will be held Oct. 17 from 9:30 a.m.-noon in Dental Central at the Social Impact Hub. In partnership with the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, this event is an opportunity to help local veterans in need by packing kits with a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss and oral health education materials. The kits will be distributed the following day to underserved veterans at the New Orleans VA Medical Center.

The GVAS Pack & Give Back Event is sponsored by Colgate, Henry Schein Cares, the Dental Trade Alliance Foundation and the Alliance of the American Dental Association.

The Give Veterans A Smile Networking Happy Hour is scheduled for 4-5 p.m. Oct. 18 at the Social Impact Hub in Dental Central. This event will offer an opportunity for SmileCon attendees to network with representatives from organizations or entities that are currently providing oral health care services to underserved veterans.

Throughout SmileCon, the ADA Foundation will also host multiple continuing education sessions in collaboration with the American Institute of Dental Public Health and sponsored by Pacific Dental Services Foundation, including:

• Innovative Approaches to Managing Chronic Diseases in Veteran Patients (5104), Oct. 17, 10-11:30 a.m.

• Supporting Veterans with PTSD: Collaborative Care with a Trauma-Informed Approach (5114), Oct. 17, 2:30-4 p.m.

• Providing Care to Underserved Veterans: Panel Presentation Various Care Models (6122), Oct. 18, 10:30 a.m.-noon.

• Identifying Sustainable and Innovative Best Practices to Veteran Oral Health Care (7102), Oct. 19, 8:30-10 a.m.

• Medical-Dental Integration: A Path to Improved Veteran Healthcare (7108), Oct. 19, noon-1:30 p.m.

All events except the Oct. 19 celebration will take place at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center.

Visit ADA.org for more information on GVAS SmileCon programming and to register. For general inquiries regarding the GVAS program, email GVAS@ada.org.