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Student Resources

BTG Themes Resources

During the core sessions, you will hear from presenters about Cardiovascular Disease (CVD), Smoking Cessation (SC) and Tobacco Free Policy (TFP), and Oral Health Disease (OH) as it relates to the community. Given the prevalence of CVD, SC/TFP, OH in the communities you are serving BTG focuses on prevention/health promotion, when appropriate. Using the mentors and resources provided consider how best to incorporate the below objectives into your work at the site (ALSO SEE RESOURCES CVD, SC/TFP, OH).

AS FUTURE HEALTH PROFESSIONALS RESOURCES CREATED AND SHARED SHOULD BE DOUBLE CHECKED FOR MISINFORMATION – confirm all sources of information are reliable and up to date.

A group of the student coordinators will be tasked with coordinating an effort for BTG around CVD, SC/TFP, OH and you will be asked to share with them your CVD, SC/TFP, OH prevention/promotion work by July 17th.

Goal:

For Students to incorporate into their projects when appropriate

OBJECTIVES

Cardiovascular Disease

  • To raise awareness through health education.
  • To focus on topics related to cardiovascular disease prevention: healthy eating, exercise, stroke prevention, and smoking cessation.
  • To connect people to resources.

Oral Health

  • To raise awareness of oral health’s relationship to overall health.
  • To discuss topics related to oral health disease prevention.
  • To connect people to oral health supplies and dental care resources.​

​Smoking Cessation and Tobacco Free Policy

  • To raise awareness through health education.
  • To support sites in creating smoke free environments.
  • To support individuals in their effort to quit smoking.

GETTING STARTED

  • Review the resources
  • Speak to the Community Preceptor (CP) at the site about the BTG programmatic themes (CVD, OH & Smoking Cessation) and discuss what, if any, intervention would be appropriate.
  • Connect with the Dental Alumni Mentors.

 Smoking Cessation Initiative 

Help support a smoke free environment

  • Does the site have a documented policy on smoking?
    • If no, help the site think about developing a smoke free policy and connect them to resources at Smoke Free Philly.
    • If yes, how can you improve the function or support the effort.
      • Offer to do an assessment of the site or the area surrounding the site to see if there are ways to better support a smoke free environment.
      • Create a resource(s) the site can use.

Help support individuals 

  • Raise awareness of the dangers of smoking, industry advertising, target markets, etc.
  • Provide resources for those wanting to quit (Quitline, tips on how to develop a quit plan, smoke-free apps, info on nicotine replacement therapy, support, etc.).
  • Create a resource(s) the individual can use or/and share.

BTG Oral Health Resources

Oral Health Supply Order Form
Please upload one form per site, and the file name should start with your site name. The pickup date should be at least 7 days after your submission date. 

Please reach out to BTG dental mentors, Durgha Natrajan ([email protected]) and Jenna Patel ([email protected]) about oral health supply questions. To order oral health supplies: complete the Oral Health Supply Order Form and upload it HERE.

Faculty and students at Penn Dental Medicine (PDM) serve as resources and dental mentors for Bridging the Gaps interns to plan and implement oral health prevention programs that include education and referral for dental care at their community sites. Drs. Abby Quinn Peterson & Elizabeth Powell, serve as the dental educators, leading the team to include two dental students –  Durgha Natrajan and Jenna Patel. The team has posted a video presentation with power point slides explaining the significance of oral health for general health and describing best practices for designing community oral health programs.

Through a generous grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Bridging the Gap provides oral hygiene supplies, including toothbrushes, toothpaste, dental floss and denture supplies, as well as educational materials (puppets, story books and flip charts) for you to use in your community project. Please take advantage of these supplies and order through our Dental team by filling out the Request form for Oral Health Educational Materials, posted on below. After you complete the form, please email upload them HERE, so that we can pack your supplies for you to pick up at Penn Dental Medicine, 240 S 40th St. (on 40th street between Locust and Spruce streets).​

We also have mentoring support available from two dental students who were in last year’s Bridging the Gaps program. Durgha & Jenna are available by phone and video consultation to help you plan your oral health program at your community site, and their contact information is posted above and in the PowerPoint presentation (below). They will send you resources and discuss ideas for fun, interactive dental activities, and can also answer questions and provide dental referrals.  It is our goal that each Bridging the Gap site has a dental program so that we can increase oral health education in the Philadelphia and surrounding communities as well as increase access to dental care by sharing information about the number of public health clinics in Philadelphia. Below, we include a list of dentists and health centers in the region who provide low and reduced cost dental services.

Do You Need Help Finding A Dentist?  

Call the Dental and Dental Hygiene Schools:

  • Penn Dental 240 S. 40th Sts 215-898-8965
  • Temple Dental 3223 N. Broad St 215-707-2900
  • Community College of Philadelphia 1700 Spring Garden Sts 215-751-8625

Call the Health Centers:

  • District Health Center #2 1720 S. Broad St 215-685-1822
  • District Health Center #3 555 S. 43rd St 215-685-7506
  • District Health Center #4 4400 Haverford Avenue 215-685-7605
  • District Health Center #5 1920 N. 20th St 215-685-2938
  • District Health Center #6 321 W. Girard Ave 215-685-3816
  • District Health Center #9 131 E. Chelten Avenue 215-685-5738
  • District Health Center #10 2230 Cottman Avenue 215-685-0608
  • Einstein Hospital Dental Clinic 5501 Old York Rd., 215-456-7130
  • Eleventh St Family Services* 850 North 11th st 215-769-1100
  • Esperanza Health Center* 3156 Kensington Avenue 215-831-1100
  • Fairmount Health Center* 1412 Fairmont Avenue 215-684-5349
  • Frankford Ave Health Center 4510 Frankford Avenue 215-535-1990
  • Health Annex* 6120-B Woodland Ave 215-727-4721
  • Hunting Park Health Center 1999 W. Hunting Park Avenue 215-229-1390
  • Marie De Los Santos Center* 452 W Allegheny Avenue 215-291-2500
  • Philadelphia FIGHT Dental* 1207 Chestnut Street 215-525-3046
  • Quality Community Health* 2501 West Lehigh Avenue 215-227-0300
  • Sayre Health Center* 5900 Walnut Street 215-474-4444
  • Stephen Klein Wellness Dental*  2144 Cecil B Moore Avenue 215-320-6187
  • Wilson Park Medical Center 2520 Snyder Avenue 215-755-6866
  • * Accepts a Sliding Fee Schedule

For Children & Those with Special Needs, Call:

  • Penn Dental 240 S. 40th Sts 215-898-8965
  • Temple Dental 3223 N. Broad St 215-707-2900
  • Episcopal Hospital Front and Lehigh Ave. 215-426-6760
  • Special Smiles Ltd Front and Lehigh Ave. 215-427-7495
  • St. Christopher’s Erie Av. At Front St., 215-427-5065
  • Kids Smiles 2924 Island Avenue 215-492-9291
  • Kids Smiles 5828 Market Street 215-747-6901

If You Need Referral to A Private Dentist, Call: 

  • Philadelphia County Dental Society 215-925-6050

Introduction to Oral Health in the Bridging the Gaps Program

BTG Oral Health 2026 Slides

BTG Cardiovascular & Smoking Cessation Resources:

Get Healthy Philly
https://www.phila.gov

The Community Health Explorer:  The Community Health Explorer is an interactive tool for accessing the Community Health Assessment (CHA). The CHA is a systematic assessment of population health in Philadelphia, highlighting key public health challenges and assets and informing local public health programs, policies, and partnerships. The CHA includes indicators reflecting health behaviors, health conditions, health care factors, and social and environmental determinants of health. https://healthexplorer.phila.gov

American Heart Association http://www.heart.org
American Stroke Association http://www.strokeassociation.org
American Lung Association https://www.lung.org/

Tobacco Free / Smoking Cessation: Ryan Coffman, MPH, CHES, CTTS-M Tobacco Policy and Control Program Manager, Philadelphia Department of Public Health
Have questions for Ryan Coffman? Submit them HERE.
Ryan will present on SC on July 1. 

http://smokefreephilly.org/

Any Pennsylvania resident can call 1-800-QUIT-NOW (1-800-784-8669) for free quit smoking medications and counseling. Spanish speaking services are available at 1-855-DEJELO-YA (1-855-335-3569)