ACS Expands National Dental Initiative to Louisiana
05 May 2008 - 11:15PM
PR Newswire (US)
Baton Rouge children to benefit from free dental screening on May
6, 2008 DALLAS, May 5 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Affiliated Computer
Services, Inc. (ACS) is expanding its national Dental Outreach
Initiative to Louisiana to aid the state's school children. The
program is now available in seven states and the District of
Columbia. ACS will launch the initiative by sponsoring a free
dental education and screening for children on Tuesday, May 6, at
Forest Heights Elementary School, 7447 Sumrall Drive, Baton Rouge,
starting at 1:00 p.m. Since the ACS Dental Outreach Initiative was
launched in Georgia in 2004, more than 26,000 children have
received dental education. The program, conducted in partnership
with The Dental Clinic of Dr. Crear and Associates, provides free
dental education and screenings to underserved children. ACS is
launching the initiative in Louisiana with a goal of educating and
screening approximately 2,000 children. Along with Baton Rouge, ACS
plans to sponsor multiple screenings in other Louisiana schools in
the upcoming 2008-2009 school year. "As corporate residents of
Louisiana, we are concerned about the health and well-being of our
neediest children," said Christopher T. Deelsnyder, ACS senior vice
president and managing director, Government Healthcare Solutions.
"Together with our partners, we hope to teach these children that
practicing good dental hygiene will have a profound impact on their
health for years to come." ACS' more than 200 employees in
Louisiana provide state government services such as managing the
Medicaid CommunityCARE Primary Care case management program,
processing child support payments, and operating the Louisiana
Customer Service Center for family support programs. Additionally,
ACS operates the 311 non-emergency services system and Emergency
Medical Services billing services for the city of New Orleans. The
ACS Dental Initiative provides free dental screenings and education
seminars on dental hygiene by licensed professionals. To reinforce
what they learn during the seminars, students receive a gift bag
containing a toothbrush, toothpaste, t-shirts, and dental education
material. In addition, children receive a screening evaluation and
a recommendation report to share with their parents or guardian.
For many children, the ACS Dental Initiative screening will be
their first dental check-up. In fact, the American Dental
Association (ADA) and the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP)
state that children from low-income families are less likely to see
a dentist regularly, and suffer twice as many dental cavities as
their peers. In addition, pain and suffering due to untreated
disease lead to problems in eating, speaking and paying attention
in school. The ADA and the AAP also note that 51 million school
hours are lost each year as a result of dental-related problems.
"The ACS Dental Outreach Initiative is our way of reaching into
communities throughout the state to help Louisiana children have
not only healthy smiles, but healthy futures as well," said
Deelsnyder. Along with Louisiana, the initiative benefits children
in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, Texas, and
the District of Columbia. ACS, a global FORTUNE 500 company with
63,000 people supporting client operations reaching more than 100
countries, provides business process outsourcing and information
technology solutions to world-class commercial and government
clients. The company's Class A common stock trades on the New York
Stock Exchange under the symbol "ACS." Learn more about ACS at
http://www.acs-inc.com/. DATASOURCE: Affiliated Computer Services,
Inc. CONTACT: Andy Wilson, Director, Corporate Communications of
Affiliated Computer Services, Inc., +1-214-841-8004, Web site:
http://www.acs-inc.com/
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