Education

Combatting a Dental Health Epidemic

Published

9 years ago

May 21, 2015

In San Francisco, nearly 40 percent of children have experienced tooth decay by the time they reach kindergarten, and low-income kindergartners are eight times more likely to have untreated tooth decay, reports the San Francisco Children’s Oral Health Collaborative (SF COH).

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Oral health disparities are specific to local neighborhoods, with the highest rates in Chinatown, where more than 50 percent of all kindergarteners suffer from cavities.

To inform and elicit community feedback about the importance of children’s oral health – and continue to learn why some ethnicities are more at-risk – the SF COH, which includes UC San Francisco, the SF Department of Public Health and community health providers and advocates, hosted a community stakeholder meeting on April 30 in Chinatown.

Attendees at the two-hour meeting at the Chinatown YMCA included City and County of San Francisco Supervisors Julie Christensen and Scott Wiener, and Health Commissioner Ed Chow.

“Good oral health is critical to the well-being of our city, and we need to expand access to dental care as well as healthy and nutritious food, particularly in our low-income communities,” Wiener said.

Similar stakeholder meetings are planned for Latino and African American communities in San Francisco.

“Because of this meeting, we were able to raise the level of awareness of children’s dental caries that is disproportionately affecting the Chinatown neighborhood,” said Lisa Chung, DDS, MPH, associate professor in the UCSF School of Dentistry Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences and SF COH co-director.

“We were able to bring together local health and child care providers and organizations and engage in a spirited discussion about what could be causing these Chinatown disparities, existing barriers to addressing them, and how we can collaborate and move forward,” she said.

Tooth decay and periodontal disease are the two biggest threats to oral health and among the most common chronic diseases in the United States. In fact, former U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin called oral diseases a “silent epidemic.”

Children with untreated cavities may experience pain, dysfunction, school absences, difficulty concentrating and low self-esteem, according to the SF COH.

“It is better to prevent tooth decay than to provide extensive dental treatment for a very young child,” said Dr. Steven Ambrose, director of Dental Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, a co-leading agency of the Children’s Oral Health Collaborative. “If we can help parents understand how to keep their babies’ teeth healthy, we can prevent unnecessary disease and pain, and promote and protect our children’s oral health in a far easier and cost-effective manner.”

Dental caries is largely preventable through dental sealants, fluoride varnish, healthy eating habits, daily oral care at home and routine dental visits. However, many parents, medical providers and even dental providers do not fully understand their critical roles in preventing this disease.

A cross-sector initiative designed to improve the health and wellness of all San Franciscans, the San Francisco Children’s Oral Health Collaborative coordinated the San Francisco Children’s Oral Health Strategic Plan 2014-2017 toward making the city cavity-free. The plan identifies the most effective, evidence-based actions each group can take to make the most impact. Target groups are children under 10, pregnant women, low-income communities of color, recent immigrants and other populations most at risk.

“Involving the community and collaborating with its members are essential in efforts to improve public health, and is at the core of SF HIP’s Children’s Oral Health Collaborative,” Chung said. “We prioritized this first meeting in Chinatown on public and private health professionals and Chinatown program planners, community leaders, and school administrators as they are working closest with the target population – young children and their caregivers.”

The San Francisco Children’s Oral Health Collaborative is supported by the Hellman Foundation. The Chinatown community stakeholder meeting was sponsored by the Chinatown YMCA, the Asian Pacific Islander Health Parity Coalition, APA Family Support Services, NICOS Chinese Health Coalition and API Council.

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Activism

School Board President Shuts Down Meeting Trying to Silence Gaza Ceasefire Protesters

Since the executive board of the Oakland Education Association originally took a stand to oppose genocide and call for a ceasefire, the union has been under intense criticism both from mainstream media and an Oakland parents’ group, which has been encouraging teachers to quit the union.

Published

2 weeks ago

November 12, 2023

Oakland Post

By Ken Epstein

Several hundred people, including teachers, school staff, students, parents, and community activists, showed up at the Oakland Unified School District board meeting Wednesday night, most of them calling on the board to pass a resolution to support an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and end the killing of civilians, when school board President Mike Hutchinson refused to let them speak and abruptly shut down the meeting as they demanded to be heard.

At the start of the meeting, Hutchinson announced that a resolution proposed by Board member Valarie Bachelor, “Calling for a Ceasefire and Release of Hostages in Israel and Palestine,” would not be discussed that evening and that there was no place anywhere on the agenda where attendees would be allowed to speak on the issue.

However, there was a moment of confusion when the parliamentarian, speaking over Hutchinson’s objections, explained that there was one 30-minute period for people to discuss nonagenda items.

A chorus of boos filled the auditorium as Hutchinson attempted to move on. He quickly suspended the meeting, and he and several other board members left the room, though some board members remained.

One young woman shouted at Hutchinson. “You’re having a tantrum, and we’re talking about genocide.”

People crowded around a bullhorn at the front of the room, and attendees held their own meeting.

“You are on the right side of history – we’ll be back,” said a youth soccer coach, Maria Martinez.

A young woman named Lulwa said, ‘I believe we all deserve our land, we all deserve our freedom, and we all deserve not to have our children bombed. The media is lying to us, and social media is bringing us together.”

Lulwa explained that she has been living in the U.S. and Oakland since the age of 9. “I was taken in by the community in Oakland, and I was loved.”

Board member Bachelor was cheered as she spoke on the bullhorn, supporting the people of Palestine and the people of Israel.

“We have to stop killing children, we have to stop bombing hospitals, we have to stop killing UN workers; we have to stop the killing,” she said. “We are a global community. The fight continues.”

A woman who identified herself as a Jewish Oakland teacher said, “The school board does not speak for the teachers, Monday night, we (teachers) passed a very strong resolution demanding an end to the genocide in Gaza and an end to U.S. funding (for the war).

An Oakland man named Izzy said, “What did the school board do today? They walked out on our kids…. There’s nobody to blame but Mike Hutchinson.”

Jabari Shaw said that African Americans stand in solidarity with Palestine. “We know how it is to not be recognized as human beings,” he said.

However, on Monday evening, union delegates from the Oakland schools upheld a strong position, voting 66 to 31 in favor of a ceasefire.

Hutchinson and board member Sam Davis, joined by school board candidate Jorge Lerma, have been working with the parent group in opposition to the teachers’ union.

But another group of parents and community members supporting the teachers’ union’s stance just started a petition in the last couple of days and has already received over 300 signatures.

“As Oakland parents, caregivers, and community members, we are committed to the safety and well-being of all of our children,” the petition said. “We are writing to express our solidarity with the families of Palestine and to express support for district leaders and the OEA for standing in solidarity with the people of Palestine.”

Community

Contra Costa College Student Earns Spot in NASA Simulation

“NCAS inspires community college students to advance in STEM fields, and it also opens doors for future careers at NASA,” said Torry Johnson, Minority University Research and Education Project (MUREP) manager—which funds NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars.

Published

3 weeks ago

November 7, 2023

Oakland Post

Image courtesy of NASA.

By Kathy Chouteau

The Richmond Standard

Many college students will head out for a night on the town with their friends tonight, but Richmond resident and Contra Costa College student Maria Suwabe has other plans. Suwabe has been selected by NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars (NCAS) to attend the “NCAS Mission 2: Exploration Simulation” Oct 19–26.

Suwabe earned a spot at the Exploration Simulation alongside hundreds of other nationwide community college students after completing a five-week online NCAS course. The students will learn more about NASA’s missions and careers in science and engineering throughout the virtual experience, according to Contra Costa College.

The group will form teams and collaborate on designing a mission to explore the moon or Mars by joining a design team, fulfilling a team role, managing a budget and developing communication and outreach strategies, per the college.

During the experience, Suwabe and other students will also attend NASA events, get the 411 on applying for internships and virtually tour NASA’s unique facilities.

Learn more at https://www.nasa.gov/learning-resources/nasa-community-college-aerospace-scholars/or email NASA Community College Aerospace Scholars at JSC-NCAS@mail.nasa.gov.

Community

Vast Arts Video and Audio Multimedia Collection Now Available for K-12 Schools, Local Libraries

Every public school student and teacher, as well as every Californian with a library card, can now access over 5,000 theatre, music and dance performance videos and audio performances and over 3,000 world music albums anytime they want, online at no charge through their school district and local library.

Published

3 weeks ago

November 7, 2023

Oakland Post

iStock image courtesy of gmast3r.

By Jeff Barbosa, California State Library

These video and audio recordings from the Alexander Street platform by ProQuest (part of Clarivate) are the latest addition to the online resources the California State Library provides to K-12 students and include performances from L.A. Theatre Works, The Royal Shakespeare Company, National Theatre, music from Smithsonian’s Folkways label, and video recordings chronicling music history and cultural change co-created by Grammy-Award winner Quincy Jones.

“This helps California put a capital A for Arts in the online STEAM resources we’re offering public school students and teachers – and every Californian with a library card,” said California State Librarian Greg Lucas.

The State Library and its partner, the Riverside County Office of Education, have provided online tools for academic success to California’s school students and their teachers at no cost to schools since 2018. Through September 2023, more than 482 million unique investigations and searches of those resources have occurred.

The Alexander Street collections include performances from California arts organizations and artists. Some examples:

Video performances from the Los Angeles Symphony and San Francisco Opera;
International dance recordings produced from Berkeley, CA;
Jazz performances video and international music audio recorded in California;
Lectures on acting technique from California-based professionals; and
Over 430 full-length audio plays produced by L.A. Theatre Works, featuring well-known actors from around the world.

California local library-card holders can access the resources online. Check the online resources section of your local library or ask a librarian. If the library hasn’t added the resources yet, encourage library staff to find out more by emailing K12.Resources@library.ca.gov.

California’s Alexander Street arts collection from ProQuest includes:

Audio Collections:

Audio Drama: The L.A. Theatre Works Collection contains over 430 plays from the 19^th, 20^th and 21^st centuries performed by leading actors from around the world, recorded specifically for online listening.

Music Online: Smithsonian Global Sound for Libraries provides a virtual encyclopedia of unique American folk, blues, soul, jazz, and protest songs, as well as a broad range of world music through partnership with Smithsonian Folkways Recordings. Video Collections:

Music Online: The Quest TV Collection, co-created by Quincy Jones & Reza Ackbaraly, offers valuable materials for music history and cultural studies through the preservation of diverse live performances, representing jazz, funk, soul, hip-hop, folk, indie, electronic, blues, and other eclectic world genres.

Dance Online: Dance in Video is a collection of performances, instructional materials, documentaries, and interviews, showcasing high-caliber performances from dance companies and performers worldwide, including traditional ballet to hip hop, street dance, and modern dance.

Broadway On Demand includes plays, musicals, and dance performances along with behind-the-scenes series, documentaries, instructional videos, and more.

National Theatre Collection provides contemporary video productions, modern reinterpretations of classic plays — all featuring acclaimed actors and directors along with behind-the-scenes archival content.

The Royal Shakespeare Company Collection contains high-definition recordings of top Shakespearean actors and directors, along with supplementary teaching materials designed to help bring Shakespeare to life in the modern age.

Theatre in Video offers access to hundreds of significant plays, documentaries, and instructional materials, as well as interviews with prominent directors, designers, writers, and actors, providing an authentic behind-the-scenes look at various productions.

Classical Music in Video provides influential performances and documentaries demonstrating the development of classical music, spanning eras from past masters to modern composers.

Opera in Video offers a wide curated selection of opera performances, featuring top artists, conductors, and venues.