Health educators from The L.A. Trust go back to school

The L.A. Trust and Beyond the Bell have distributed more than 100,000 toothbrushes and other donated oral healthcare items to students and family members as part of Operation Tooth Fairy.

Los Angeles Unified School students are back on campus — and so are oral healthcare educators from The L.A. Trust. 

Program Manager Esther Yepez and her kid-friendly puppet Billy visited Logan Street Elementary School in the Echo Park section of Los Angeles May 5. It’s the first of nine such trainings sponsored by a grant from QueensCare. 

“Students were extremely excited to learn about the importance of why we brush our teeth and how cavities are formed,” Yepez said. “They learned about the germ called plaque that causes cavities.” 

Good to be back 

Yepez and Billy addressed four classes — one transitional kindergarten class, two kindergarten classes and one first-grade class. A total of 78 students received the instruction along with oral healthcare kits containing toothbrushes and Sesame Street brochures.  

Executive Director Maryjane Puffer of The L.A. Trust said, “It’s good to be back in the classroom, teaching good oral healthcare habits to our kids.”  

The L.A. Trust’s oral healthcare mission has continued during the pandemic, Puffer noted.  Operation Tooth Fairy distributed more than $455,000 in supplies; The L.A. Trust’s kid-friendly oral health campaign on KLCS and social media reached an audience of more than 1.5 million. 

The campaign has made celebrities out of Yepez and Billy. One student in the hallway recognized the pair from their appearances on KLCS. They appeared on the L.A. Unified TV station 150 times during the pandemic. 

Oral Health Toolkit puts resources at providers’ fingertips

The L.A. Trust Oral Health Toolkit includes links to our new “Brush with Billy” video series as seen on KLCS TV.  Billy is pictured with Esther Yepez of The L.A. Trust.

The L.A. Trust has released a new multimedia Oral Health Toolkit featuring links to kids’ oral health videos, local dental services referrals, state oral health assistance programs and more. 

The Toolkit was created by Eddie Hu, oral health program manager for The L.A. Trust, and Esther Yepez, program manager, as part of the organization’s Oral Health Initiative.  

Hu said, “The purpose of this toolkit is to address the barriers to oral health access being experienced by many L.A. students — barriers that have been worsened by the COVID-19 pandemic. During this pandemic, many children and families are not receiving information regarding their oral health. Many school-based clinics are closed; students are not on campus; and they have additional priorities when it comes to health issues.” 

He noted that “oral health is critical component of overall health. It is extremely important to take care of our oral health and teeth to prevent disease and illness,” he said. 

The L.A. Trust and L.A. Unified put focus on student oral health

Program Manager Esther Yepez, Executive Director Maryjane Puffer and Associate Program Director Stella Kim distributed hundreds of free toothbrushes at Los Angeles Unified’s Grab & Go Food Center at Manual Arts Senior High School June 9. 

The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health has joined forces with America’s Tooth Fairy, the University of Southern California and the Los Angeles Unified School District to raise oral health awareness and distribute more than 50,000 toothbrushes at Los Angeles Unified Grab & Go Food Centers.

“Healthy children are ready to learn, and The L.A. Trust has worked with us for years to promote the health and wellbeing of our students,” Superintendent Austin Beutner said. “Children may find it difficult to visit a dentist, so making sure kids practice good oral health habits like brushing their teeth is more important now than ever.”

L.A. Tooth Fairy Maryjane Puffer, executive director of The L.A. Trust, thanked Los Angeles Unified and sponsors of Operation Tooth Fairy, including America’s Tooth Fairy and USC. “We even got an anonymous donation of 1,500 wrapped toothbrushes – every little bit helps.”

Puffer noted that “children with poor oral health are nearly three times more likely to miss school and perform poorly.” Past screenings of elementary school students in Los Angeles found that 66% of children had active dental disease, 27% had visible tooth decay and 6% required emergency care.

Since 2013, The L.A. Trust has worked to improve student oral health by coordinating free Kindergarten Oral Health Assessments in Los Angeles Unified schools.

Puffer said replacing toothbrushes frequently and not sharing brushes is especially important during this pandemic. Children should floss daily and brush twice a day. They should also keep wearing their braces and dental appliances.

“Many dentists and dental clinics are re-opening, and you should always see a dentist if it’s an emergency,” Puffer said. This includes oral pain, infection, trauma or damage. Many Student Health and Wellness Centers are open for restorative care, and you can also ask if your dentist offers tele-dentistry to get a remote assessment.  

Thanks from Board

School Board members thanked The L.A. Trust for supporting students while school facilities are closed.

“I am grateful to The L.A. Trust for helping us fulfill our commitment to support the whole child,” Board Vice President Jackie Goldberg said.

“I salute The L.A. Trust and their continued commitment to promoting and educating our children on the importance of oral health,” Board Member Dr. George J. McKenna III said.

“Thanks to The L.A. Trust, America’s Tooth Fairy and the University of Southern California for your partnership and support for our students and families,” Board Member Mónica García said. “The health of our students is a strong indicator of their ability to achieve academically. I am grateful for all those involved in the effort to bridge the gap between education and health.”

“As a retired teacher and principal, I know that our children’s health and wellbeing are critical for effective teaching and learning,” Board Member Scott M. Schmerelson said. “Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, many parents have lost jobs and cannot afford to buy the necessary supplies or pay for dental treatments. Now more than ever, we must continue to provide needed support so our students can remain healthy. I thank The L.A. Trust and our community partners for their generous contributions and continued support.”

“We are grateful to The L.A. Trust and all the partners working to mitigate the unfortunate side effects of our current public health crisis and the existing crises that our kids face every day by not having adequate access to basic health care,” Board Member Nick Melvoin said. “That’s why I brought, and the Board passed, a resolution earlier this year to make it easier for partners like The L.A. Trust to provide these basic health services to our students, and why it’s so important that we uphold this commitment to meet the needs of our kids and families.”

“Along with our partner, The L.A. Trust, we are dedicated to promoting our students’ health,” Board Member Kelly Gonez said. “This latest distribution of toothbrushes at our Grab & Go Food Centers will support student wellbeing and allow them to focus on their learning.”

Puffer thanked the School Board, Los Angeles Unified and Operation Tooth Fairy partners, and urged other organizations and individual to join the effort. She said Operation Tooth Fairy is seeking donations of wrapped children’s and adult toothbrushes plus items like toothpaste and dental floss. “These may seem like small things,” she said, “but they can make a big difference in the oral health of a child or adolescent in this quarantine and recession.”

CalFresh and The L.A. Trust help families keep it fresh during shutdown

The L.A. Trust has expanded its nutrition education to include Facebook Live workshops and healthy online cooking videos.

The Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health has moved its CalFresh student and community outreach programs online and to the field to help families eat healthy during the coronavirus shutdown.

The L.A. Trust Nutrition team is holding weekly one-hour workshops on Facebook Live hosted by Program Manager Esther Yepez and Health Educator Lillian Orta:

English-language workshops  Every Thursday at 3 p.m. until July 2
Spanish-language workshops Every Friday at 12 p.m. until July 3

The workshops feature information on healthy food options, pantry cooking and smart shopping. “We know that it can be hard to shop fresh right now,” Yepez said. “We want to demonstrate how to maintain or even improve nutritious eating during this shutdown period.” The L.A. Trust has conducted 12 nutrition workshops and hosted one informational workshop reaching 5,253 people on Facebook so far.

The Spanish-language informational workshop featured guest speaker Betzabel Estudillo of the California Food Policy Advocates and discussed expanded EBT benefits and other COVID-19 resources.

The L.A. Trust has also posted fresh and healthy cooking videos on Vimeo to help families eat fresh and stretch their food dollars, with more coming soon:

French Toast Sticks with Berry Syrup (English and Spanish)
Brussels Sprout Hash & Eggs (English and Spanish)
Mango Chicken Stirfry (English and Spanish)

The L.A. Trust has distributed free grocery bags, gloves, and 900 recipe cards to the Fremont Free Food Fair, a food distribution site The L.A. Trust has supported to address food insecurity over the past several years. The Fremont Free Food Fair is organized by the UMMA Community clinic, Community Health Councils and Food Forward.

Working with CalFresh

Through CalFresh Healthy Living, The L.A. Trust has also purchased more than 2,800 cookbooks to be given away at four food distribution sites: Peace Chapel Church; Macedonia Church in Watts; Community Health Councils; and Girls Club of Los Angeles. These cookbooks will be given away in food bags distributed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The L.A. Trust is proud to partner with CalFresh Healthy Living to help our students and families eat well and get access to healthy foods,” Program Manager Nina Nguyen said. “There is tremendous interest in healthy eating in our communities, and we are excited to keep this outreach going virtually during the current coronavirus closures.”

CalFresh Healthy Living is the largest nutrition education program in the United States. More than one-third of California residents are eligible for CalFresh Healthy Living, California’s Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program-Education (SNAP-Ed), which strives to improve the health of eligible Californians through education and healthy community changes. CalFresh Healthy Living offers critical resources for Californians to lead healthier lives and provides opportunities to enjoy more fresh produce.