8/9/2019 Case Study: Give Kids a Smile -- Henry Schein Helps the American Dental Association

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Case Study Henry Schein, Inc.

Give Kids A Smile Henry Schein Helps the American Dental Association Give Kids A Smile 

Overview 

Over the course of six years, Henry Schein (throughHenry Schein Dental) has partnered with theAmerican Dental Association to transform a pilotprogram in St. Louis, Missouri into an importantongoing national access to oral health care initiativethat has provided free screenings, education anddental treatment to millions of underserved childrenin communities around the country.

The Challenge 

In February 2002, the Greater St. Louis DentalSociety and local volunteer dentists provided free

dental treatment to nearly 400 children over a two-day Give Kids A Smile (GKAS) clinic, the first suchprogram in the country. Seeing the potential of thepilot program to provide care and increaseawareness of the importance of access to oralhealth care for children, the American DentalAssociation (ADA) adopted GKAS with the intentionof rolling it out in communities around the country.To help achieve this goal, the ADA invited HenrySchein Dental to join with them as the exclusiveprovider of professional products

The Solution 

As a major sponsor of GKAS through Henry ScheinCares, the Company’s global social responsibilityprogram, Henry Schein Dental quickly expanded itsrole far beyond simple financial support. Using itsclose relationships with dental product manufacturers,the Company recruited an impressive roster of supplierpartners (nearly 50 partners annually) who donatedproducts needed by the thousands of dental teamvolunteers. Each year, Henry Schein Dental furnishedhundreds of GKAS sites with professional dentalscreening and prevention kits, which included itemssuch as gloves, masks, patient bibs, dental floss,prophy paste and fluoride gel, foam and varnish. The

Company also dedicated Team Schein Membersthroughout the organization to advancing theprogram—from senior strategic leadership tocommunications support to on-site staffing at GKASclinics around the country.

All children deserve a healthy smile.

8/9/2019 Case Study: Give Kids a Smile -- Henry Schein Helps the American Dental Association

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GKAS also has heightened awareness of the accesscare issue among policymakers. In 2005 Congresspassed a resolution commending the ADA and thevolunteer dentists for GKAS, and underscoring theneed to provide access to oral health care for children.

The GKAS program has expanded to include theGSAS Fund, through which organizations andindividuals can contribute to help achieve programgoals; an annual Gala Awards Dinner, which furtherraises awareness; a GKAS Promising PracticesSymposium, though which local GKAS leaders canshare ideas and experiences; and four key programpartners—Colgate’s Bright Smiles, Bright Futures;Henry Schein’s Healthy Children, Healthy Lifestyles;Mission of Mercy; and TeamSmile.

In the six years that Henry Schein Dental hassupported GKAS, the program has significantlyincreased its reach and become a flagship programfor both the ADA and Henry Schein Cares. Over thepast four years, an average of more than 550,000

underserved children have received treatmentannually on GKAS Day in February, with theparticipation of an average 42,275 dental teamvolunteers working at an average 1,981 locations.The average value of the care provided each yearthrough the GKAS program exceeds $42 million.

Additional major sponsors—including Colgate-Palmolive, Johnson & Johnson, Dexis Digital X-ray,the William Wrigley Jr. Company and CareCredit—

have joined the GKAS initiative to expand theprogram. In addition, Steve Kess, Henry ScheinVice President for Global Professional Relations andlongtime member of the ADA Foundation Board,was invited by the ADA in 2007 to chair the GiveKids A Smile National Advisory Board—the first non-dental chairman for a major ADA board in 147 years.The GKAS National Advisory Board is working withthe ADA to expand the scope of the event beyond asingle day for years to come.

The Result 

July 2008 

Henry Schein, Inc.,135 Duryea Road, Melville NY 11747

www.henryschein.com

Happy patients at the Give kids a smile event in Longview, Texas.

Young patient learns the fine art of brushing her teeth properly