Cans For Care - Bottles For Hope Society

Transcription

1 Cans For Care - Bottles For Hope Society Who are we? Cans For Care - Bottles For Hope is a registered not for profit society (2015 S ) that works with community partners and oral health professionals in Nanaimo, B.C. to improve the oral health of disadvantaged individuals, including the young and elderly. Help us improve the oral health of individuals that cannot afford the cost of dental treatment. What do we do? Cans For Care - Bottles For Hope collects recyclable cans and bottles and fund-raises to provide much needed dental care for our community's disadvantaged persons. What is this problem? Canada's patchwork of public dental programs leaves many without care. In particular, thousands of adults and children living on low incomes cannot afford a visit to a dentist, which can harm their physical and emotional well-being and ability to get work.

2 Organizations across the health and social sectors are calling for unified oral health services so that everyone, at every income level, has access to quality dental care. Men, women and families who are poor, marginalized or homeless can face the greatest barriers to dental care and suffer the worst consequences. Homeless persons find it difficult to carry and use a toothbrush and toothpaste. Access to facilities where they can attend to personal hygiene is uncertain. Persons who obtain food from garbage cans or stores and restaurants that donate leftover food are more likely to have gross decay. Dietary limitations caused by missing teeth also affect nutrition and overall health. Homeless women who are pregnant may experience nutrient deficiencies so severe that fetal tooth development is impaired, particularly during the early phase of tooth growth from conception through age 6 months. Alcoholism is one of the most recognizable problems associated with homelessness, and alcoholism is strongly correlated with poor oral health Access to facilities where they can attend to personal hygiene is uncertain. Unreliable sources of food and inadequate nutrition reduce a homeless person s oral health. Persons who obtain food from garbage cans or stores and restaurants that donate left-over food are more likely to have gross decay. FAQs 1. Doesn t the government provide dental treatment for poor people? In Canada oral health does not come under the Canada Health Act, except for some oral surgical procedures that are done in hospitals. Ninety-five percent of oral health care services are provided on a fee-for-service basis in private dental clinics. The other 5% are delivered through publicly financed dental care programs in the provinces or territories, or by the federal government. Persons not eligible for social assistance, disability or persistent multiple barrier assistance do not qualify for assistance with the cost of any dental services even emergency care. 2. Isn t tooth extraction the answer to this problem? Tooth extraction is the least expensive type of dental care and is often the only choice for most marginalized and homeless individuals. However, missing teeth can diminish self-esteem which impairs an individual s ability to eat, get a job, and, ultimately, return to mainstream society

3 3. How does this problem affect the poor, marginalized or homeless population in Nanaimo? Findings of a recent published report of dental health issues in a major Canadian city (Dental health of homeless adults in Toronto, Canada. Journal of Public Health Dentistry) found that: 97% of people surveyed in homeless shelters needed dental treatment compared to 34% in the general Canadian population. 40% needed emergency dental treatment. 35% had avoided eating due to mouth problems. 32% said they experienced tooth pain over the last month. Of these, 75% did not receive care. 35% had not seen a dentist in four years or more. 70% had no insurance coverage for dental care. Oral health was markedly worse for people who were homeless or unemployed for longer than one year. People were often unaware of their own dental problems. While 20% said they had no dental problems, only 3% were found to be problem-free during an oral exam. Who are our partners? A number of Nanaimo residents, community organizations and businesses have become partners of the society. They regularly donate their recyclable cans and bottles as well as fund raise to provide much needed dental treatment to needy individuals in the area. A few examples of our partners include:

4 Sample News Story Nanaimo, British Columbia, 2016 Imagine having to ride your bicycle along the backroads of Nanaimo and collect discarded cans and bottles to pay for food, shelter or such things as a dental filling, cleaning or tooth extraction. While many of us take our oral health for granted, a significant number of people living in our city rely on daily scavenging for recyclable cans and bottles to satisfy their basic life needs says Ellen Ross, founder of the Cans for Care-Bottles for Hope Society which has been in operations since January of On any given day, Ellen, a registered dental assistant who lives in Nanaimo, BC, can be found at the local bottle recycling depot where she turns in her cans for cash to help the homeless and marginalized population who suffer silently with chronic tooth aches and infection. I ve gotten to know quite a few of the regulars she says and sometimes I pass out my collection of food if they haven t eaten today. I always make sure they ve got a toothbrush and paste as well says this semiretired health professional who has been involved in community development projects throughout her career. Ellen says there are a number of people who she has met who don t qualify for social assistance and can t afford to pay for basic dental services. I ride my bike along the backroads in Nanaimo, looking for cans and bottles to fill the paniers. It s great exercise and I think I m helping fulfill a desperate need among this population. She has even recruited a number of community organizations and businesses in Nanaimo to help in her cause. There s a great group of local businesses here in our city who want to give back to the community and help out she says. So if you see a cyclist riding the rainy Nanaimo streets with paniers filled with cans and bottles, it s probably Ellen just adding to her society s fund, 5 cents at a time.

5 Contact us Please contact us if you would like to contribute to better dental health in your community Please contact us at or call (250) to learn how your recycled cans and bottles in the Nanaimo area can make a difference to the oral health of just one person!