MIAMI, FL – Wednesday, July 27th, 2011 – Community Partnership for Homeless, Miami-Dade County’s primary intake facility for the homeless, has announced a $30,000 grant from Health Foundation of South Florida awarded in May 2011. The funding supports medical costs affiliated with the provision of oral health care for homeless men, women and children offered through its onsite Mobile Dental Unit.
The Mobil Dental Unit is a 40-foot long dental office on wheels constructed in 2005 through private sector funding received by the North Dade Medical Foundation. Going into its sixth year of operation, this roving dental office provides critical oral health care to more than 1,000 Miami-Dade County homeless individuals annually.
Community Partnership for Homeless (CPH) estimates that half of its 6,000 annual clients are negatively impacted by gum disease. Malnutrition, poor oral hygiene, tobacco use and trauma wreak havoc on the oral and general health of homeless people. Too often grossly decayed and missing teeth disfigure the faces of the 756 homeless persons who daily access temporary housing and supportive services at CPH’s two Homeless Assistance Centers located in Downtown Miami and Homestead. Exacerbating these problems are financial barriers to treatment, an insufficient supply of dental providers willing to treat them, and a lack of transportation.
“The rampant tooth decay that we’ve found in our underprivileged population is one of the leading causes of poor overall health. The inclusion of oral health care into our current medical triage has enabled us to reduce the wait time to access appointments for the underserved and uninsured, and reduce the distance they have to travel to access culturally appropriate care,” said Trev Flowers, director of communication for CPH.
The collaboration between Community Partnership for Homeless, Health Foundation of South Florida, and other private and public sector sources, provides the perfect vehicle for increasing access to critically needed dental care for our community’s homeless population.
Community Partnership for Homeless was founded in 1993 and operates as the primary private sector partner to the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. The service mission of CPH is to assist the Trust in raising private sector funding necessary to implement the Homeless Plan, and to operate two Homeless Assistance Centers that provide an average of 47-to-60 days of stabilization and comprehensive needs assessment to more than 6,000 clients annually. This partnership has been continually recognized as a national best practice model for its comprehensive approach to helping the homeless, including recognition by former U.S. Secretaries of Housing and Urban Development Mel Martinez and Andrew Cuomo, and two former Florida Governors.
Health Foundation of South Florida, a nonprofit grant making organization, is dedicated to improving health in Broward, Miami-Dade and Monroe Counties. By funding providers and supporting programs to promote health and prevent disease, the Foundation makes a measurable and sustainable impact in the health of individuals and families. Since 1993, the Foundation has awarded more than $89 million in grants and program support. For more information, please call 305.374.7200 or visit the Web site, www.hfsf.org
For more information on Community Partnership for the Homeless, the Homeless Assistance Center or the Mobile Dental Unit, contact Trev Flowers, 305.329.3042, or visit the CPH website at www.cphi.org.
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*Impact numbers are updated at the beginning of each fiscal year and will be updated annually.
As the private sector partner of the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust, Chapman Partnership is another step in the continuum of care. Any person or family who is homeless, about to be homeless, or assisting someone facing homelessness, and requiring emergency assistance must first contact the Homeless Helpline administered by the Miami-Dade County Homeless Trust. Homeless Helpline Toll Free Number: 1-877-994-HELP (4357).
