Commissioners Declare September 2018 Bucks County Oral Health Month

At their meeting on Wednesday, September 5th, the Bucks County Commissioners made official proclamation declaring September 2018 Bucks County Oral Health Month. The full proclamation follows.

WHEREAS, good oral health is an important component to an individual’s good overall health and well-being; and

WHEREAS, recent studies have suggested connections between oral health and diabetes, cardiac disease, stroke, as well as arthritis; and WHEREAS, dental care is often inaccessible to low-income adults and veterans in our community; and

WHEREAS, nearly 1/3 of low income adults say that the appearance of their mouth and teeth affects their ability to interview for a job; and

WHEREAS, in 1999 Eugene Jackson created HealthLink, a free clinic to meet the healthcare needs of low-wage earning adults and to “bridge the gap” between qualifying for Medicaid coverage and having the ability to afford healthcare coverage; and

WHEREAS, for the last seventeen years, HealthLink has worked tirelessly to utilize the expertise of dedicated professional volunteers, aided by a small devoted staff, to provide a fiscally responsible and streamlined approach to treating our neighbors in need; and

NOW THEREFORE, do we, the Bucks County Commissioners, Chairman Robert G. Loughery, Charles H. Martin and Diane M. Ellis-Marseglia, LCSW, proclaim September 2017 as “BUCKS COUNTY ORAL HEALTH MONTH” throughout the County of Bucks.

In so doing, we salute HealthLink and its sixteen-year commitment to the well-being of the community and its mission to expand its free adult dental clinic allowing more low-income residents the ability to receive free restorative and preventative dental care.