If you have questions about fluoride, you have questions about science. Fluoride – and the science behind it – is fascinating. Fluoride Exposed is a project of the Charitable Partnership Fund where you can get your questions answered with real science, and have some fun at the same time.
Read MoreWashington Department of Health (DOH)→
/During the 2014-2015 and 2015-2016 school years, the Washington Department of Health (DOH) conducted the fifth Smile Survey. The 2016 survey results revealed that Washington's oral health policies and programs have made progress on a few indicators. Access Smile Survey results and other resources for Oral Health on the DOH website.
Read MoreThe Benefits of Fluoride
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Community water fluoridation will ensure everyone in our community can enjoy better oral health, overall health, and well-being.
Fluoride is nature’s cavity fighter, a mineral found in most lakes, rivers, and oceans. But it’s usually found at levels below what’s needed to prevent tooth decay. Fluoride strengthens tooth enamel, making it more resistant to decay. Fluoride replaces minerals lost to the acid attacks that happen when we eat.
Read MoreCommunity Fluoridation in Our City
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Spokane faces real oral health challenges and disparities. We have higher cavity rates than many other Washington communities. Spokane is the largest city in the state without the right balance of fluoride in the water.
On September 14, the Spokane City Council voted 6-1 to approve entering into a grant agreement with Arcora Foundation. The city will receive $4,000,000 to cover the capital costs related to implementing community water fluoridation, including planning, design, permitting, and construction costs.
Arcora is contributing $3,000,000 of the total. Nine locally-operating organizations worked together to raise the other $1,000,000; Better Health Together, Empire Health Foundation Community Action Fund, Providence Health Care, MultiCare Health Systems, Kaiser Permanente, Molina Health Care, Amerigroup, Community Health Plan of Washington, and Coordinated Care.
Thank you to all these funders and the countless community members, health care members, housing organizations, church pastors, activists, and parents who came out to support this public health initiative. This is a critical first step to radically improving the oral health of our city.
Letters of Support
for Community Water Fluoridation
Word of Mouth - Volume 3: Issue 7→
/July is Time for Water Fun!
Here are some fun facts about water:
Water covers 80% of the earth.
Only 2.5% is drinkable freshwater.
Fluoride occurs naturally in all water.
75% of the human brain is water, and 75% of a living tree is water.
Word of Mouth - Volume 3: Issue 6→
/Smile Spokane Celebrates Pride Month in June! Affirming care, including oral health care, is essential to everyone. Still, not everyone receives care that honors the identities that they hold or individual needs because of lack of understanding, inequitable systems, and even bias. This is especially true for transgender individuals. Individuals identifying as LGBTQIA2S+ can find affirming healthcare providers using this database of LGBTQIA2S+ affirming health providers created by Spectrum.
Read MoreWord of Mouth - Volume 3: Special Edition→
/Mental Health Challenges Don’t Have to Stop Oral Health Care. As we acknowledge this National Mental Health Awareness month has been especially challenging to many people's mental health, we’re shining a light on Smile Spokane’s Care Linkages Strategy and our impactful partnership with Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH).
Read MoreMental Health Challenges Don’t Have to Stop Oral Health Care
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We’re shining a light on Smile Spokane’s Care Linkages Strategy and our impactful partnership with Frontier Behavioral Health (FBH). Overall health means oral health, physical health, and emotional and mental health. The care navigators at FBH help connect people living with mental challenges and illness to all kinds of support and care, including oral health care.
Read MoreWord of Mouth - Volume 3: Issue 5→
/May is Mental Health Awareness Month! In our healthcare system, the mouth and brain are often treated as separate from the rest of our bodies. But oral health and mental health are linked in critical ways. Poor oral health can impact eating, speech, social interactions, and the psychological well-being of both children and adults.
Read MoreSmiles for Life→
/Smiles for Life is currently the nation's most comprehensive and widely used oral health curriculum for primary care clinicians. It has been endorsed by 20 national organizations and is in wide use in professional schools and post-graduate training programs. Visit the Smiles for Life website to view their Continuing Education courses and resources.
Read MoreProtect Washington’s Medicaid Adult Benefit→
/Cutting the adult dental benefits will further hurt the communities most impacted by COVID-19, and will cost WA state millions. Good oral health is an essential component of Washington’s economic recovery. To learn more, view this flyer listing the benefits of protecting WA Apple Health’s adult dental benefits.
Read MoreDentistLink→
/DentistLink is a free referral service for anyone in Washington. They are a free non-profit referral service on a mission to connect everyone to dental care, whether uninsured or insured, including those with Apple Health (Medicaid) coverage. Learn more at DentistLink.org.
Read MoreFree Oral Health Training Opportunities→
/As part of Arcora Foundation’s mission to expand the arc of oral health they provide learning opportunities for different types of professionals. To learn more, view this flyer with Arcora’s free education offerings and explore the course descriptions.
Read MoreAddressing Oral Health Inequities During COVID-19 and Beyond→
/Even before COVID-19, millions of people struggled every day to access oral health care, living with pain and unmet need. While we do not yet know the extent to which COVID-19 will exacerbate longstanding inequities in our oral health care system, it is certain that once this acute public health crisis abates, our nation’s oral health crisis will remain. This brief explores several state policy options to respond to oral health care needs during this crisis and to carry us forward toward a more equitable oral health care system.
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