Henry Schein Inc has expanded its “Healthy Children, Healthy Lifestyles” program to four new cities. “Healthy Children, Healthy Lifestyles” is a program that promotes access to health care for underserved children.
The program, which was launched in Columbia, SC, in 2006, will now help children in Baton Rouge, La; Jackson, Miss; Detroit, Mich; and Richmond, Va. The program is supported by Henry Schein Cares, the company’s global social responsibility program, and is cosponsored by state and local health organizations.
This summer, more than 2,000 children will receive free health and dental screenings from local physicians, nurses, dentists, and community volunteers, who check for diseases and risk factors that commonly afflict children, including hypertension, asthma, diabetes, obesity, and poor oral health. Health care volunteers will also educate the children and their parents about how to prevent and treat these health problems, and will help them find a community health care clinic or physician, if they do not already have one.
“We focus Henry Schein Cares resources on programs that support underserved communities, and our mission is to increase access to health care for everyone,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman and CEO of Henry Schein. “We are committed to helping children across the country who are struggling with diseases that are easily treated, but often flourish because they go undiagnosed.”
In its second year, “Healthy Children, Healthy Lifestyles” is working with the statewide Community Health Center network, local departments of health and family services, local government agencies, dental associations, churches, low-income neighborhoods, and youth and community organizations to identify the children in greatest need. Beyond this recruitment, the program is open to the general public.
