The Hellman Foundation will lend financial support to an initiative aimed at making San Francisco cavity-free by eradicating health disparities in childhood tooth decay.
“Our collaboration recently formed thanks to the coordination and strong support from UCSF's San Francisco Health Improvement Partnership, the Department of Public Health, and the Metta Fund," said Lisa Chung, an associate professor in the Department of Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences at UCSF's School of Dentistry. "We hope this additional support from Hellman will bring greater awareness to the problem, our work to address it, and more partners to join us in our efforts.”
Co-led by Chung (DDS, MPH) and San Francisco Department of Public Health’s (SFDPH) Margaret Fisher (RDHAP), the Children’s Oral Health Collaborative facilitates cross-sector partnerships to target a significant San Francisco challenge with the potential to make a real difference.
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease.
In San Francisco, emergency department visits for preventable dental problems are higher than that for asthma and diabetes combined, and untreated tooth decay is two to three times more common for children of color.
Established in 2011, the Hellman Foundation finds and supports the creative change-makers improving the lives and livelihoods for all who call the San Francisco Bay Area home.
Check out the strategic plan of the Children’s Oral Health Collaborative.