[10 SEP 98] COVENTRY
CITY COUNCIL PRESS RELEASE
Launch of 'Heathy Hillfields
Children' ProjectFuture visits to the
dentist for Hillfields children may bring a smile to their face when a special project
called 'Healthy Hillfields Children' is launched next week to encourage them to take
better care of their teeth and gums.
The year long project which involves all the schools in the
area is being launched on Wednesday 16 September at 2pm at the Hillfields Early Years
Centre, Clifton Street.
At the launch Lord Mayor, Councillor Mrs Rosher - herself a
former pupil at Frederick Bird School - will meet some of the children from the schools
involved in the pilot scheme and brush up on her dental health with the help of some giant
inflatable toothbrushes. Children will be wearing brightly coloured T-shirts with the
project's comic dental logo to launch the initiative.
Joining her will be partners involved in the project and
leading Councillors for health, housing and education issues. The MP Jim Cunningham has
been invited.
Each child in every school will also receive a free
toothbrush and tube of toothpaste every term and access to drinking water and chilled milk
dispensers as part of the project. Parents too will have their part to play by being asked
to fill in a confidential questionnaire about their dental habits.
NOTES:
- Hillfields is an area of the City which has consistently
shown poor levels of oral health, with more decayed teeth, more gum disease, and less
remaining teeth than other areas in the City across all age groups.
- Supported by a grant of £5,000 from the Government's Single
Regeneration Budget, the project is being run by the Hillfields Health Issues Group (part
of the Hillfields Partnership) in conjunction with a number of partners including the City
Council's Health Development Team, Education Service, Catering Service, the NHS Community
Health Trust and Coventry Health Authority.
- Working with schools, the project also aims to encourage the
take-up of school meals ensuring that they meet both the nutritional and cultural needs of
the pupils. The project will also look at improving access to those children entitled to
free school meals. For children taking packed lunches the project will give support on how
to provide a healthy lunchbox for children.
- The 'Healthy Hillfields Children' project also forms the
basis for a special research project being undertaken by the NHS Trust to look into the
results of such an approach to dental hygiene education.
MORE INFORMATION:
Rachel Flowers, Principal Environmental Health Officer 01203 832586 |
