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Selina Zygmunt receives the PDHA
Certificate of Recognition Award and is granted
Honorary Membership in the PDHA. Selina Zygmunt
(Center); Berks-Schuykill Dental Hygienists'
Association Executive Board (L to R) Judy Ernst,
RDH, Mary Grace Rugh, RDH, Teresa Hanna, RDH &
Denise Eck, RDH.
Ms. Zygmunt is the only non-hygienist to attain membership in the association's history. She is praised for founding Keystone's school-based Dental Sealant Project and the Children's Dental Clinic Project, both collaborative efforts based in Berks County. "We are proud to welcome Ms. Zygmunt into the PDHA as an honorary member and recognize her for her outstanding contributions to dental health," Susan Wienand, president of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists' Association, said. "Ms. Zygmunt's induction into the Association was initiated by the national recognition she received when presented with the American Dental Hygienists' Association and Colgate Community Outreach Awards in both 2000 and 2001 for founding the Dental Sealant and Children's Dental Clinic Projects. We are pleased to bestow this honor to Ms. Zygmunt, and are grateful for her strong advocacy for good dental hygiene within the underserved population of Berks County." One of only two school-based sealant projects in the state, the Dental Sealant Project combines the Keystone Farmworker Program and St. Joseph Medical Center, together with volunteers from the dental community, to provide free sealants for second graders in targeted schools in Reading, Berks County. The project has also expanded to include a free children's dental clinic one Saturday morning a month. The clinic serves migrant children with serious dental disease who are uninsured or under-insured, and those who, because of their immigration status, cannot access CHIP or Medical Assistance programs for which they would normally be eligible. The clinic is accessed by referrals from clinicians working in the sealant project, school nurses or the Reading School District's dental hygienist. "We are so pleased to see Selina receive such high accolades," Joanne Cochran, CEO of Keystone Rural Health Center, said. "Both the Dental Sealant Project and the Children's Dental Clinic Project are testaments of Selina's commitment and dedication to providing quality dental health care to migrant and underserved children." The mission of the Pennsylvania Dental Hygienists' Association is to advance the art and science of dental hygiene by increasing and ensuring access to cost-effective, quality oral health care, thus, promoting the highest standards of dental hygiene education, licensure, practice and research while representing and promoting the interests of dental hygienists. Keystone Health Center, a public, non-profit organization, provides high-quality medical, obstetric, gynecological and dental health care and, when needed, social services to all Franklin County residents and the surrounding areas, including the underserved populations. Presently, Keystone operates five primary care sites: Keystone Health Center family practice, Keystone Dental Center, Keystone Women's Care, Keystone Health Center-Path Valley satellite family practice, and the State Migrant Farmworker Administration office. Keystone also operates one year-round migrant and seasonal farmworker site in Berks County and one seasonal farmworker site in Adams County. Services to migrant farmworkers are also provided through outreach workers and contracted providers across the Commonwealth. For more information regarding Keystone Rural Health Center or the Farmworker's Programs, please visit the website at www.keystonehealth.com. For more information regarding this news release, please contact Karen Gross at (717) 975-2148, kgross@hersheyphilbin.com, or visit the newsroom at www.hersheyphilbin.com. |
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