MANCHESTER, N.H. – On Saturday, Manchester students will begin to get dental care thanks to help from the New Hampshire Army National Guard (NHARNG) and the Manchester Health Department.
Although the city’s school-based oral health program has been around since the 1970s, it has become a challenge to identify local dental providers who are willing and able to accept uncompensated referrals for students who require more involved dental care.
Those students will now receive that assistance through the U.S. Department of Defense Innovative Readiness Training Program, which pairs military training requirements with community needs. In those case, that training comes in the form of the NHARNG’s Medical Detachment, which will provide fillings and extractions to those students over and above those already being given by the Health Department.
“This partnership between the NHARNG and Manchester Health Department allows us to expand critical dental service to students in Manchester, ensuring cost is not a barrier to health,” said Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig. “Our students deserve high-quality, preventive care, and I’m grateful for the support from the NHARNG in providing these services.”
“The IRT program is a unique way for the Guard to support local communities while gaining valuable, real-world training experience,” said NH Adjutant Gen. David Mikolaities. “There is nothing more fulfilling for our citizen-soldiers than to serve their fellow citizens in their own backyard.”
The collaboration came in part thanks to Manchester Health Department Director Anna Thomas, who talked with New Hampshire National Guard representatives on how to address this issue.
“For years, we talked about the ways our NHARNG medical assets could serve local communities in New Hampshire. We certainly experienced that benefit throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. This new venture optimizes the best of both our worlds and assists our City and State’s most valuable resource – our children and families,” said Thomas.
More information on this program can be found at https://www.manchesternh.gov/Departments/Health/Services/Dental-Health
