A grant of $493,872 from a cigarette tax fund will allow Chandler Regional and Mercy Gilbert medical centers in Arizona to provide free oral preventive care and hygiene education to more than 3,000 underserved children across the East Valley, according to the East Valley Tribune.
Administered by Catholic Healthcare West Foundation-East Valley, the grant will pay for about 6,800 fluoride varnish treatments, dental screenings, and referrals, as well as oral health education for families in Ahwatukee Foothills, Chandler, Gilbert, Guadalupe, Mesa, Queen Creek, and Tempe, according to the newspaper.
Local dentists, pediatricians, family practice physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants will receive training on best-practice oral health education for children.
The money comes from Proposition 203, a 2006 ballot initiative in Arizona that set an 80¢ tax on each pack of cigarettes to pay for education and health programs for children up to age 5, the newspaper reported, adding that a council of 31 local leaders makes decisions about how to best use the funds.
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