11095226 Canada Foundation
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Mission Statement
The Gift from the Heart (GFTH) is a Canadian non- profit charity connecting oral health professionals to vulnerable Canadians who encounter barriers accessing essential oral healthcare. The GFTH envisions Canadians with improved overall health and a better quality of life through barrier-free access to essential oral healthcare services provided by oral health care professionals. Our Values: Health promotion, disease prevention and improved quality of life. We Believe In: The Improvement of Overall Health: Registered Dental Hygienists are health care professionals educated in oral health and who advocate for overall wellness of those we serve. Caring: The Gift from the Heart Charity is committed to giving back with empathy and compassion. Diversity: The Gift from the Heart Charity appreciates and encourages diversity for the enrichment it brings. Community: The Gift from the Heart Charity supports our communities by providing no-cost dental hygiene care to our neighbours in need. Respect: The Gift from the Heart Charity believes that all people should be treated with consideration and dignity.
About This Cause
Canada does not have a national dental program. Each year millions of Canadians go without access to dental care. We all know someone who cannot financially afford preventive dental care and oral health services. They are the vulnerable people of our communities. They are the neglected, those without dental insurance or those on a fixed income and the fearful. In 2008, Gift from the Heart began as a one-day event which allowed Registered Dental Hygienists to give back to their communities by providing no-cost dental hygiene care. The response was overwhelming. To date, Gift from the Heart has gifted over 1.4 million dollars (CAD) in no-cost dental care, has welcomed over 2500 volunteer Registered Dental Hygienists and made the lives of 12 500 Canadians better. The Gift from the Heart Charity addresses the following need in Canadian communities: Lack of access to dental care. Gift from the Heart believes access to dental care and preventive oral health care is a basic human right. The Gift from the Heart charity will address the problem that millions of Canadians go without access to dental care and preventive oral health care, mainly due to financial barriers. Lack of access translates to millions of Canadians missing an opportunity to have a potentially life-saving oral cancer screening. The evidence is clear; when oral cancer is detected in early stages, lives can be saved. In 2020, 1500 Canadians died from oral cancer. If their cancer was caught earlier, they might still be alive today. If Canadians have access to an oral health care professional their quality of life improves through improved overall, emotional and psychological health. This problem is significant due to the lack of a national dental health program and this problem is occurring because Canadians face barriers. Gift from the Heart can be part of the solution! Oral and overall health are linked and when oral disease is prevented and treated, health outcomes improve. When Canadians have access to an oral health care provider like a Registered Dental Hygienist, costly emergency room visits and unnecessary antibiotic/painkiller prescriptions can be reduced and improvements in quality of life and self-esteem are undeniable. The benefits to the people Gift from the Heart helps are transferred to communities and communities become stronger. Here’s how access to an oral health care provider and oral health education creates stronger communities: • Children who do not have oral disease or are able to have oral disease treated in its earlier stages are not in pain. They can concentrate on school and miss fewer school days. • Parents and adults in communities who are able to prevent, manage and treat oral disease miss fewer workdays, experience improved self-esteem and improved social mobility. • Parents and adults who are able to prevent, manage and treat dental disease are better able to evenly distribute family and individual financial resources. • The presence of oral disease is a risk factor for several chronic diseases that have significant impacts on both a micro and macro community scale. Oral diseases that affect overall health outcomes include head and neck cancers, including cancers of the mouth, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, respiratory diseases, and cognitive decline. When oral disease is prevented, and managed overall health outcomes improve. The above needs are apparent in both urban and rural areas. Gift from the Heart now has a mobile Oral Health on the GO vehicle which will enhance access to difficult to reach rural areas where need tends to be the highest. WHERE WILL SERVICES BE PROVIDED Services will primarily be provided in dental and independent dental hygiene clinics across Canada and directly in communities in Ontario via the Oral Health on the GO vehicle. Alternative locations include but are not limited to dental and dental hygiene schools and community health centres. It is important that the location in which services are provided can accommodate appropriate infection prevention and control protocols.