A Message from UHCAN Ohio.

UHCAN Ohio and Dental Access Now! released the second video in their campaign highlighting Ohioans from across the state and their struggles to obtain dental care.

Hear from Rowena Ventura, Chair of We Are the Unisured, from Cleveland. She shares the story of a woman in Cleveland who lost her teeth because of physical abuse at home. Working as a hotel maid, she couldn’t afford dental care and as a result lost her job, lost her home, and ended up dying on the streets of Cleveland.

Rowena emphasizes how this could have all been avoided if dental care was affordable. She says “By putting [Registered Dental Practitioners] in place, it allows people the access with the affordability which will create a healthier mouth for everyone…”

(Click Rowena’s picture or here to to view her story on Youtube)

Too many Ohioans cannot get affordable dental care in their communities- and the problem is getting worse. Dental care is the NUBMER ONE unmet health need for children and low-income adults in our state.

As a result, Ohioans live in pain, miss school or work, and even develop life-threatening infections. Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease—more common than asthma. Left untreated, dental decay can impede learning, social development, and proper nutrition. It can also lead to a lifetime of poor health and increased risk of diabetes, stroke, and heart disease.

If you missed our video release from last week, click here to view Matthew Thorpe from Columbus’s video.

Share this video with others and “Like” our Facebook page to stay up to date with the issue of dental access in Ohio.

Stay tuned for next week’s story from Kathy Smathers from Kent, OH.