MOSCOW, Russia – While all parents hope that their children will get a clean bill of health, the increasing privatization of the health care system in Russia is turning this hope into a far-off dream. Dental care is most often not affordable for children who come from homes that are impoverished, single-parent families, or families with the extra burden of a disabled child. Thanks to assistance provided by the Fellowship Foundation, headed by Rabbi Yechiel Eckstein, many Moscow households will be able to rectify the dental part of the problem in the coming months, as they will be able to obtain free high-quality dental care in a modern clinic.
The first matter that needed to be tackled in order to set this dental care project in place was to decide which network of clinics was best able to provide a full range of services to children. After much research and negotiations, the Alena Dental Clinic network was awarded the contract and signed an agreement for the joint program "Healthy Teeth - Happy Children."
This program involves the best children's dentists and orthodontists from the Alena network, who will provide medical, surgical and orthodontic care for children – all thanks to the care and generosity of the Keren Yedidut Fellowship Foundation, otherwise known as the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews.
In the cozy waiting room of a typical Alena Clinic there is a big aquarium with exotic fish and many other activities, books and toys to entertain the children and their parents and reduce the worrying that often occurs when taking a child to the dentist. The clinics even offer the children "wonder glasses" so that they are distracted during their dental check-up and treatment by watching their favorite cartoons. For babies and toddlers, a safe form of pain relief, imperceptible to the recipient, enables the child to be treated pain-free.
In the reception area, the dental therapist helps the parents to determine what toothpaste and toothbrush is best for a child to learn how to brush their teeth and special requirements that may be related to sensitive tooth or gum problems.
In order to make an appointment with the dentist, Keren Yedidut clients only need to make one phone call and set a time that is convenient for them at any branch of the network. There are currently 400 youngsters under the age of 16 enrolled in this program.
This program rounds out a list of humanitarian initiatives being led by the Fellowship Foundation, in cooperation with the Federation of Jewish Communities of the CIS, through which thousands of Jewish families across the Former Soviet Union are being aided. The IFCJ’s areas of humanitarian assistance cover food aid, clothing and footwear, school supplies and other items, and the health of their young beneficiaries.
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