Friends For Health Receives Grant to Improve Oral Health

HIGHLAND PARK, IL (JUNE 2017) - Thanks to a grant from Congregation Solel in Highland Park, all eligible adult patients at the Lake County Health Department’s North Shore Health Center will now have access to free electric toothbrushes to improve their dental health.

“Access to electric toothbrushes is especially important for North Shore Health Center patients with serious dental issues or difficulty brushing to improve their oral health,” said Mark Pfister, Executive Director for the Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center.

Compared with manual toothbrushes, electric toothbrushes reduced dental plaque 21 percent more and gingivitis (i.e., inflammation of the gums) 11 percent more after only three months of use, according to studies from Cochrane Researchers.

In 2016, NSHC provided dental services to 625 adults. Approximately one third of them have serious dental issues.

For more information on the electric toothbrushes coming to the North Shore Health Center, please contact info@friendsforhealth.net.

ABOUT FRIENDS FOR HEALTH

Friends for Health is a non-profit established in 2002 that supports preventative and educational programs at the North Shore Health Center. Friends for Health’s mission is to transform lives by ensuring the availability of health care and wellness to everyone in their community regardless of one’s ability to pay.

ABOUT NORTH SHORE HEALTH CENTER

The Lake County Health Department and Community Health Center founded the North Shore Health Center in 2007 with generous support from Friends for Health. The health department operates seven community health centers in efforts to achieve its mission of promoting the health and well-being of all who live, work and play in Lake County.