Today in Nurses Hall, Watch Your Mouth and Health Care For All celebrated the 5th Annual Oral Health Heroes Event. Several individuals in the legislature and our communities who have demonstrate outstanding leadership in oral health advocacy and/or a strong commitment to improving the state of oral health in the Commonwealth were named this year’s Oral Health Heroes.
This year’s legislative honorees are Senator Steven Panagiotakos and Representative Ellen Story. Senator Panagiotakos, while serving in a leadership role as Chair of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, was instrumental in preserving dental benefits for adults on MassHealth in the FY2010 budget. Representative Story has consistently stood up for oral health, signing on to many great oral health bills and testifying at several hearings at the State House to promote oral health.
We also are honored two members of the community who have demonstrated significant leadership in oral health: Hugh Silk, M.D., and Herlivi Linares, D.D.S. Dr. Silk is a family physician at Hahnemann Family Health Center in Worcester. He has been a longtime partner of the Watch Your Mouth Campaign, helping to plan oral health events in his community and consistently serving as a spokesperson with the media. Dr. Linares is an Associate Dental Director of Lynn Community Health Center Dental Services, and has shown an ongoing commitment to protecting the health and well-being of her community by providing crucial oral health services.
You can see photos of the event and view videos of the speakers.
-Christine Keeves
