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ACS will launch the initiative by sponsoring a free dental education andscreening for children on Tuesday, May 6, at Forest Heights Elementary School,7447 Sumrall Drive, Baton Rouge, starting at 1:00 p.m. Since the ACS DentalOutreach Initiative was launched in Georgia in 2004, more than 26,000 childrenhave received dental education.
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The program, conducted in partnership with The Dental Clinic of Dr. Crearand Associates, provides free dental education and screenings to underservedchildren. ACS is launching the initiative in Louisiana with a goal ofeducating and screening approximately 2,000 children. Along with Baton Rouge,ACS plans to sponsor multiple screenings in other Louisiana schools in theupcoming 2008-2009 school year.
"As corporate residents of Louisiana, we are concerned about the healthand well-being of our neediest children," said Christopher T. Deelsnyder, ACSsenior vice president and managing director, Government Healthcare Solutions."Together with our partners, we hope to teach these children that practicinggood dental hygiene will have a profound impact on their health for years tocome."
ACS' more than 200 employees in Louisiana provide state governmentservices such as managing the Medicaid CommunityCARE Primary Care casemanagement program, processing child support payments, and operating theLouisiana Customer Service Center for family support programs. Additionally,ACS operates the 311 non-emergency services system and Emergency MedicalServices billing services for the city of New Orleans.
The ACS Dental Initiative provides free dental screenings and educationseminars on dental hygiene by licensed professionals. To reinforce what theylearn during the seminars, students receive a gift bag containing atoothbrush, toothpaste, t-shirts, and dental education material. In addition,children receive a screening evaluation and a recommendation report to sharewith their parents or guardian.
For many children, the ACS Dental Initiative screening will be their firstdental check-up. In fact, the American Dental Association (ADA) and theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that children from low-incomefamilies are less likely to see a dentist regularly, and suffer twice as manydental cavities as their peers. In addition, pain and suffering due tountreated disease lead to problems in eating, speaking and paying attention inschool. The ADA and the AAP also note that 51 million school hours are losteach year as a result of dental-related problems.
"The ACS Dental Outreach Initiative is our way of reaching intocommunities throughout the state to help Louisiana children have not onlyhealthy smiles, but healthy futures as well," said Deelsnyder.
Along with Louisiana, the initiative benefits children in Florida,Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and the District ofColumbia.
ACS, a global FORTUNE 500 company with 63,000 people supporting clientoperations reaching more than 100 countries, provides business processoutsourcing and information technology solutions to world-class commercial andgovernment clients. The company's Class A common stock trades on the New YorkStock Exchange under the symbol "ACS." Learn more about ACS athttp://www.acs-inc.com.
SOURCE Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.
