- Health Care Programs
- General Health Care
- Eye Care
- Dental Care
- Community Health
- HIV/AIDS
- Sustainable Development
- Disaster Relief
Special Report on PRASAD Chikitsa’s Tuberculosis Program
The World Health Organization and the Indian government’s Revised National TB Control Program have recognized PRASAD Chikitsa’s TB Program as a Designated Microscopy and Treatment Center (DMC). Out of sixteen NGO* applicants, PRASAD was one of just two organizations to earn this distinction. Read more…
New volunteer opportunities with PRASAD Children’s Dental Health Program For more details, click here.
A New Smile for Gulab
Dental Care-India Case Study
Gulab Jadhav, a 35-year-old brick factory worker from Ambharbhuir, lost three of her upper front teeth from tooth decay... she heard about our dental clinic through the free health camp that PRASAD Chikitsa offered at the brick factory where she worked. Read more ...
PRASAD Dental Health Programs
Through its comprehensive dental health programs, PRASAD is putting smiles on the faces of thousands of underprivileged people in the Tansa Valley region in Maharashtra, India, and on the faces of children from low-income families in Sullivan and Ulster Counties, New York.
PRASAD has been providing preventive and restorative dental health programs since 1991, in India, and since 1996, in the U.S., in New York State. These programs are complemented by regular dental health education initiatives.
In India, PRASAD treats more than 4,500 patients a year at its dental clinic, and in New York State, PRASAD’s mobile clinics have served more than 55,000 children and provided more than 160,000 procedures in the past decade.
PRASAD Children’s Dental Health Program (CDHP), New York State
In the United States, tooth decay is the single most common chronic disease of childhood and affects one in four elementary school children and two out of three adolescents. According to the US Department of Health, 2,900 children under the age of five were hospitalized for tooth decay in 2005 in New York State alone. Nationally, 51,000,000 school hours are lost to dental problems each year.
CDHP’s Beginnings
The Children’s Dental Health Program is based in Sullivan County, where The PRASAD Project also has its headquarters. Located two hours northwest of New York City, the 1,000-square-mile county has an average population of 73,000 for 10 months of the year, which swells to three times that size during July and August.
A survey conducted in 1995 showed that 75 percent of Sullivan County children from low-income homes needed immediate dental care. Through consultations with local health and school officials, PRASAD determined that a school-based program was needed - one which could provide comprehensive dental services, including education, prevention, detection and treatment. The outcome was the PRASAD Children's Dental Health Program, which began in 1996.
Services are delivered via a mobile clinic because of the rural nature of the county and the lack of public transportation. These services are provided through arrangements with schools and colleges; with local agencies such as Social Services, County Public Health, Head Start, and Youth Bureau; and with New York State officials. In 2004, the program expanded its service to Ulster County, and it now visits 17 locations between the two counties combined. Expansion into a third county is planned.
Overview of PRASAD CDHP Services
Provides high-quality, accessible and appropriate dental care to children at their schools and other community sites
Supports and facilitates children’s enrollment in health care coverage programs
Encourages and teaches positive behavior for optimal dental health practices among children
Builds strong partnerships with the community through advisory groups, task forces, coalitions and networks to reach common goals
Awards for PRASAD CDHP
Certificate of Merit by the New York State Assembly in 2002, 2004
Outstanding Community Service award by Sullivan County Legislature in 2003 and 2005
Recognition from The Nursing Division of Sullivan County, NY 2002
Youth Advocate Award by Recovery Center, Sullivan County, in 1999
Improving Access to Oral Health Services Award by the Dental Hygienist Association of the State of New York in 2002
Special Congressional Recognition in 2005
Give Kids a Smile Award, by the New York State Dental Foundation, 2009
Sullivan Pride Award, by the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce, 2009
For more about our New York program, please visit our PRASAD CDHP website.
Dental Care Program, PRASAD Chikitsa, India
The residents in the Tansa Valley of Maharashtra, India, suffer from a host of dental problems brought on by poor nutrition and ignorance about oral hygiene. In 1991, PRASAD Chikitsa started providing dental care to locals through the Shree Muktananda Dental Van. In 2003, the dental clinic was started and today treats around 400 patients a month. The clinic has all the facilities to treat dental problems, from cavities to dentures, and is the only such facility in a 30-km radius.
- Click here to read about our General Health Care, Eye Care, Community Health and HIV/AIDS programs in India.