Dental News - Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care receives third annual Henry Schein Cares Gold Medal

Dental Tribune USA

Mon. 18 June 2018

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MELVILLE, N.Y., USA: Henry Schein Inc. has announced that Mary’s Center for Maternal and Child Care — a Washington, D.C.-based humanitarian organization — received the Gold Medal in the oral health category of the third annual Henry Schein Cares Medal program.

The program honors organizations from the fields of oral health, animal health and medicine that demonstrate excellence in expanding access to care for the underserved. Stanley M. Bergman, Henry Schein’s chairman of the board and CEO, presented Mary's Center with the gold medal at Henry Schein Dental’s National Sales Meeting last week in Orlando, Flo.

Mary's Center was recognized for its commitment to building better futures for its clients through the delivery of health care, education and social services. The organization fulfills this mission by embracing culturally diverse communities and providing them with the highest quality of care regardless of ability to pay. Its dental program, in particular, exemplifies this mission.

Beginning in 2010 in a converted storage room with five full-time employees, Mary’s Center’s dental program has since evolved into a fully integrated, six-day-a-week clinic with 55 full-time employees. The program’s team of general dentists, hygienists, and dental assistants provide a range of oral health services, including specialty care, to children, adults and the elderly who are underinsured or uninsured.

Patient education and prevention are key components of Mary’s Center’s dental program, and each patient’s care is staged in a customized treatment plan. This ensures that providers are focused on diagnosing and delivering care and patients stay informed and engaged throughout their treatment cycle. The dental program is a key component of Mary’s Center’s unique model of behavioral change.

“Since 1988, our work has been guided by a social change model driven by holistic, whole-patient care, and our dental program is a crucial factor in setting our clients on the path to healthier, happier lives,” said David Tatro, chief operating officer, Mary’s Center. “The impacts that our fellow medalists have had on their communities has been incredible to learn about, and have served to inspire our own work in meaningful ways. We thank Team Schein and the Henry Schein Cares Foundation for this award and for recognizing organizations like ours, and we look forward to expanding our impact with their support.”

An independent panel of judges selected Mary’s Center as this year’s gold medalist from a field that also included silver medalist My Community Dental Centers Inc. (Boyne City, Mich.) and bronze medalist Community Treatment Inc. (Festus, Mo.). Each medalist receives a cash award in the following amounts: $15,000 for gold, $10,000 for silver and $5,000 for bronze, through the support of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation. In addition to the cash awards, each medalist will receive $10,000 worth of product from Henry Schein.

“Mary’s Center's commitment to incorporating the delivery of dental care into its patient-centric health care model pairs well with our company's belief in the importance of oral health to overall health, and is integral to its mission to help create stronger people, families, and communities,” Bergman said. “We are pleased to present Mary’s Center with the Henry Schein Cares Gold Medal in recognition of its unceasing devotion to the people it serves, and for demonstrating the true power of collaboration, care, and compassion.”

Since its founding in 1932, Henry Schein has been dedicated to fulfilling its responsibilities as a corporate citizen by giving back to the industries and communities it serves. The company created the Henry Schein Cares Medal in 2015 to honor community organizations that shared the company's commitment to serving society and whose work has been especially effective in bringing care to people and animals in need.

More information about Mary’s Center and its Henry Schein Cares Gold Medal can be found by watching a video interview with Jennifer Kim Field, vice president of corporate social responsibility for Henry Schein and executive director of the Henry Schein Cares Foundation, and Dr. Joseph Rizk, Mary's Center’s dental director. The interview is part of #scheinchats, Henry Schein’s signature social media series.

The Henry Schein Cares Medal is an initiative of Henry Schein Cares, the company’s global corporate social responsibility program.

(Source: PRNewswire)