Elementary Schools Program

In 1995, a Sullivan County community needs assessment revealed that three-fourths of Sullivan County children from low-income families needed immediate dental care. PRASAD CDHP’s elementary school-based program was initiated in 1996 to address that need. We started with two schools in Sullivan County and now travel to 17 school and community sites in Sullivan and Ulster Counties, with expansion to more sites planned.

Due to the economic challenges, the rural nature of Sullivan County and its lack of public transportation, our comprehensive dental services – including educational presentations, dental exams, and treatments - are taken directly to the children via our mobile dental clinic and portable dental unit. Children really seem to enjoy going to the dentist in the “Elliot T Sparkle Mobile Dental Van” and usually begin a responsible journey to taking good care of their teeth as a result. To date, our innovative school-based dental program is the only one of its kind in the region.

PRASAD Children’s Dental Health Program is proud to be a certified New York State Department of Health Article 28 clinic and school based health center, approved to operate in New York State schools. A certified school-based health center is a safe, easily accessible location on a school campus where students can go for comprehensive preventive and primary health care services. The programs offered by such centers are planned and organized by local community groups working together, and that has been the case with PRASAD CDHP’s school-based program; we work closely with school nurses, school administrators, parents, teachers, students, local health care providers, business leaders and representatives from children and family service agencies.

The impact of our innovative school-based program on the oral health of the children we serve has been dramatic: we have served more than 59,000 children and performed more than 165,000 dental procedures to date.

Go to our Personal Stories page to read more about the positive impact of our school-based program on children’s lives.

PRASAD CDHP
465 Brickman Road
Hurleyville, NY 12747
Phone: 845.434.0376 | Fax: 845.434.0377