Dental Hygiene Professor Colleen Stephenson Named Health Access Hero

DentaQuest, part of Sun Life U.S., recently announced its 2024 Health Access Heroes, who represent forward-thinking individuals or organizations taking action to increase access to health care and optimal health outcomes for people with the greatest needs and fewest resources. 

Colleen Stephenson, RDH-ER, MS, clinical associate professor for dental hygiene at ISU was named one of the heroes.  DentaQuest provided this description of her work, leading to her selection as a Health Access Hero:

As Idaho’s representative for the national 100 Million Mouths Campaign, Colleen Stephenson is laying the groundwork for a statewide standard of preventive whole-person care for all children. She is working in tandem with the Idaho Oral Health Alliance and its Healthy Me is Cavity Free Collaborative to recruit and train professionals across all health disciplines to monitor children’s oral health as a component of primary health care. The ultimate goal is a well child model that includes multiple opportunities to identify dental needs and problems before they become a child health issue and a statewide referral system that enables natural handoffs to a dental home.

In addition to celebrating and promoting the work of 12 heroes, made up of individuals and organizations from across the United States, DentaQuest contributed $5,000 in the name of each hero to a qualified nonprofit of their choice, a total of $60,000 in charitable contributions.

Stephenson chose the Idaho Oral Health Alliance to receive the funds. 

“We know from research and experience that oral health and overall health are inextricably linked, yet so many people across the country struggle to get the care they need,” said Steve Pollock, president of DentaQuest. “The 80 Heroes celebrated during the last nine years have shown us just what is possible and what more can be done. We are excited to recognize and share the remarkable efforts of the 12 newest Heroes helping increase access to the health and oral health care everyone deserves.”