School, DHS team up to provide orthodontic care to foster kids

On Friday, April 5, 31 children and teens who are permanent wards of Michigan's foster care system received the gift of a lifetime: screening for orthodontic treatments that may well change their lives. The new program is a partnership between faculty and students in the Postgraduate Orthodontics department at the University of Detroit Mercy School of Dentistry and the Detroit Department of Human services facilitated by For The Seventh Generation (www.fortheseventhgeneration.org), an organization that matches donations of goods and services with foster children, foster families, and young adults aging out of the foster care system. The first 31 children, ranging in age from 7 to 18, are the first in what is projected to be a group of fifty initially served by what will be an ongoing program serving permanent wards of the court living in Wayne County. Orthodontic care takes approximately two years. In the past, orthodontic services were not available to this group of deserving individuals," said Dr. Richard Kulbersh, chairman and program director of Orthodontics at the University. The program doesn't stop at treatment. In an effort to provide useful data to concerned agencies and care providers, research will also be conducted to determine the outcome and benefits of receiving this care," Kulbersh explained. "It is hoped that over the course of treatment a positive outcome will be developed both from a personal, inter-personal and scientific perspective." "Finding orthodontic care for 'our' kids is one of the larger challenges we face as an organization," said Lorraine Weber, executive director of For The Seventh Generation. "It's a huge relief to have this program in place for permanent wards of the court, and we're grateful to the University and the Department of Human Services for stepping forward and making this happen. In addition, however, we are still seeking orthodontists throughout the metro Detroit area to volunteer their services on behalf of a child or young adult who is in temporary foster care. "Making it possible for a child to smile without embarrassment - perhaps for the first time in that child's life - makes a huge difference, particularly in the case of young people who have already faced the kinds of hardship that lead to being placed in our foster care system." For The Seventh Generation is a project of the Detroit Metropolitan Bar Association Foundation in cooperation with the Third Judicial Circuit of Michigan and the Michigan Department of Human Services that matches donations of goods and services with metro Detroit-area foster children, foster families, and young adults aging out of the foster care system. For more information, including on how to volunteer to provide services, visit the organization's website at: http://www.fortheseventhgeneration.org. Published: Fri, May 10, 2013