Henry Schein Oral Health Navigator Program Provides Oral Health Treatment For More Than 200 Children Fighting Cancer
MELVILLE, N.Y., July 6, 2017—Henry Schein Inc, joined Northwell Health to announce that more than 200 children fighting cancer have received oral health treatment during the past two years through the Henry Schein Oral Health Navigator Program, an initiative designed to help young patients avoid oral health-related complications during cancer treatment.
The program is located at the New Hyde Park, N.Y.-based Cohen Children’s Medical Center, a leading provider of pediatric oncology care and a part of the Northwell system. The program is supported by the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, which is donating $90,000 over the course of 3 years to help fund the position of an Oral Health Navigator, a dedicated Patient Service Assistant to help young patients fighting cancer create a plan to improve their oral health. Poor oral health can complicate and even delay the provision of cancer treatment. To avoid that outcome, the Oral Health Navigator facilitates a plan to achieve optimal oral health for each patient by working closely with hematologists, oncologists, and dentists through diagnosis, evaluation, and treatment.
Since the program’s inception in March 2015 through February 2017, 211 patients consulted with the Oral Health Navigator in their hospital rooms, 10 received treatment in an operating room setting, and 28 were seen in the Strausman Center for Pediatric Dentistry at Cohen Children’s Medical Center. In-clinic treatments included the removal of orthodontic appliances, the extraction of primary and permanent teeth, restorative dentistry, endodontic therapy, incision and drainage of abscesses, impressions for retainers, and pain management.
“It is rewarding to know that the Henry Schein Oral Health Navigator Program is making a real impact in the oral health, and overall health, of these incredible children,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman of the board and CEO of Henry Schein. “We thank the team at Cohen Children’s Medical Center for sharing our vision of what this program could achieve for kids fighting cancer, and we look forward to seeing the continued effect the Oral Health Navigator has on the health of this most deserving population.”
The Henry Schein Oral Health Navigator Program is one example of the company’s decade-long involvement with Cohen Children’s Medical Center. Most recently, Henry Schein donated more than $250,000 in health care products and equipment, including the latest in digital technology, in support of a new dental operatory within the medical center. The donation was an initiative of Henry Schein Cares, the company’s global corporate social responsibility program.
“Whether it is unrecognized or just ignored, poor dental health is a huge obstacle to the care of children with cancer or serious blood disorders,” said Jeffrey Lipton, MD, PhD, director of Hematology/Oncology and Stem Cell Transplantation at Cohen Children’s Medical Center and professor of Pediatrics and Molecular Medicine at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine and Ronald Burakoff , DMD, MPH, professor and chair of the Department of Dental Medicine at Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital, and Long Island Jewish Medical Center in a joint statement. “The Oral Health Navigator, supported by Henry Schein Cares Foundation, has helped improve the oral health of our patients, dramatically reducing morbidity and treatment delays for our patients.”
