Community organizations have joined forces to help Perry County School District 32 promote students’ vision and dental health.
Perryville Lions Club provided a free vision screening for students in Grades K, 1, 3 and 5 on Sept. 24-26, and Mercy Hospital Perry and local dentists provided a free dental screening on Oct. 4 for all students in Grades K-5.
“The Lions Club volunteered their time and machine to assist the primary and elementary schools with our vision screenings,” said Emily Davis, RN, the school nurse at Perryville Elementary School. “With their assistance, we were able to screen 476 students in 2.5 days. We caught 80 students who needed vision referrals and sent information home that same week. One of those students was able to get see their eye doctor right away and already has new glasses to help them in school. This is why we love our job, being able to help our students with all of their health needs! Students must be healthy to be educated and educated to be healthy. Vision definitely plays a huge role in this. We cannot thank Glendon Sattler and the Perryville Lions Club enough for their assistance.”
Mercy Hospital Perry sponsored the third annual dental clinic on campus, bringing together dental professionals from the community to screen about 900 students for cavities and other dental problems. Joining Mercy were staff from the offices of Dr. Keith Cooper, Mattingly Boxdorfer Dental, Dr. Dennis Amschler, and Crosstrails Dental Clinic.
Glenda Gremaud, manager of outreach relations at Mercy Hospital Perry, said that dental health is a critical aspect of overall health. “During the screening, we are looking to identify cavities and other dental problems,” she said. “The kids are also receiving fluoride treatments today. We promote dental health as part of one’s overall health. It can play a role in diseases like diabetes and heart disease. By providing screenings and information for children, we hope to prevent dental problems before they occur. Prevention programs are a priority for our community’s hospital.”
