Why We Serve
Tooth decay is the most common chronic childhood disease. By third grade, nearly six out of ten children suffer from it. Children from low-income homes can have three times the number of cavities as their peers. Yet, the majority of children in disadvantaged households in Washington state do not receive dental care.
Most children from low-income families do not have dental insurance. Even those children with Medicaid coverage have limited access to oral health services from private-practice dentists. In a survey performed by the Communities Schools Collaboration of South King County, children and their families chose oral health care as the number one priority for non-academic services delivered in their schools. These children in South King and Kitsap counties, as well as the children from newly arrived refugee families, are our clients.
We also count seniors in need as our clients. Despite the affluence of Bainbridge Island, the community where we are based, many elderly residents can’t afford the most basic preventive oral health services without assistance. Several health and wellness surveys on the island have shown that oral health care is a number one priority here too.
Our Mission
Smile Partners is a 501 C 3 nonprofit that provides affordable preventive oral health services to those in need: low-income school children, immigrant children, seniors and, from time to time, pregnant moms.
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What We Do and Where
Since 2004, Smile Partners’ registered dental hygienists have been providing oral screenings, fluoride varnish applications, cleanings and sealants inside schools to disadvantaged children in elementary and pre-schools in South King and Kitsap counties.
Smile Partners serves schools with at least half its students receiving free or reduced school lunches. Often the percentage is much higher, with a range of 60 – 95 percent and an average of 80 percent. The free or reduced school lunch is a federal designation and a key indicator of extreme low-income status of the students at a school.
In the school year 2012 – 2013, Smile Partners worked in elementary schools in the Federal Way, Highline, Tukwila, Seattle, Bremerton school districts. Smile Partners’ hygienists also worked in pre-schools in the Puget Sound Educational Service District and the Olympic Educational School District.
In the calendar year 2012, Smile Partners’ staff performed more than 30,000 oral health services on some 6,000 patients.
| Services Provided | 2011 | 2012 |
| Oral assessments and exams | 6,928 | 5,918 |
| Cleanings | 2,163 | 2,630 |
| Fluoride varnish applications | 6,325 | 7,926 |
| Oral health instruction | 4,301 | 4,238 |
| Sealants placed | 8,267 | 8,429 |
| Sealants replaced | n/a | 845 |
| Scalings | 38 | 26 |
| Palliative care | 480 | 288 |
| Temporary fillings | n/a | 773 |
| Total | 28,732 | 30,707 |
2012 Economic Value Of Our Services
| Program Revenue | $462,741 | 50% |
| + Insurance Write-offs | $308,648 | 33% |
| + Uncompensated Care | $154,093 | 17% |
| = Market Value Of Oral Health Services Performed | $925,482 | 100% |
Locations
ELEMENTARY SCHOOLS
Federal Way School District – King County
- Adelaide
- Enterprise
- Lake Dolloff
- Lake Grove
- Mark Twain
- Mirror Lake
- Nautilus K-8
- Olympic View
- Panther Lake
- Rainier View
- Star Lake
- Sunnycrest
- Valhalla
- Wildwood
Highline School District – King County
- Beverly Park
- Bow Lake
- Madrona
- Mount View
- Southern Heights
- White Center Heights
- Cascade Middle School
- Pacific Middle School
- Sylvester Middle School
Tukwila School District – King County
- Cascade View
- Thorndyke
- Tukwila
- Showalter (Middle School)
Seattle School District – King County
- Orca
Bremerton School District – Kitsap County
- Armin Jahr
- View Ridge
PRE-SCHOOLS
ECEAP & Head Start Programs – King County
- Cascade View
- Decatur
- Kent Panther Lake
- Kent Valley
- Kent Youth
- Mark Twain
- Mount Rainier
- Norman Center
- Thomas Jefferson
- Thorndyke
- Valley View
- Wayside Church YMCA
- Woodmont
- Camelot
- Enterprise
- Lakeland
- Meredith Hill
- Rainier View
- Twin Lakes
- Wildwood
- Bridgeway
- Creekside
- Refugee and Immigrant Family Center
ECEAP & Head Start Programs – Kitsap County
- Breidablik
- Brownsville
- Burley
- Central Valley
- Creative Kids
- Discovery (teen moms, babies)
- East Port Orchard
- Givens
- Green Mountain
- Hidden Creek
- Jackson Park
- Manchester
- Olalla
- Olympic College
- Pinecrest
- Sunnyslope
- Woodlands
- Wolfle
- Carlton
- Naval Avenue
- National
- Poulsbo
- West Bremerton Early Learning Center
- West Hills
New Immigrants Program – King County
Cascade View Elementary
Smiles For Life – Kitsap County
Waterfront Community Park Center
Bainbridge Island
Staff & Board of Directors
Smile Partners Staff
- Imbert Matthee, Executive Director
- Lauren Bursell, Administrative Manager
- Kelly Salyers, Clinical Manager and Registered Dental Hygienist
- April Scanlin, Clinical Manager for Team East and Registered Dental Hygienist
- Ben McGiffin, Registered Dental Hygienist
- Vicki Nelson, Registered Dental Hygienist
- Shawn Anderson, Registered Dental Hygienist
- Brandi Morang, Registered Dental Hygienist
- Linda Morris , Dental Assistant
- Stacie Niemela, Dental Assistant
- Chiffon Wilhelme, Dental Assistant
- Beky Kennett, Billing Specialist
- Rowan Fox, Administrative Assistant / Dental Assistant
- Ed Kardong, Dentist
- Richard Nelson, Dentist
Smile Partners Board of Directors
- Bonnie Snedeker, President
- Chris Patmont, Vice President
- Wyman Johnson, Treasurer
- Ruth Dight, Secretary
- Mindy Au
- Linda Cannon
- Jim Laws
- Emilie Powell
- Nancy Alleman (non-voting advisor)
