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SDM opposes Swift's cuts to services for low-income patients

In response to Acting Governor Jane Swift's recent cuts in preventive dental services for low-income people in Massachusetts, Spencer Frankl, dean of the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, the deans of the Harvard and Tufts dental schools, concerned faculty, and students joined in a State House rally and press conference to denounce the cuts. They called upon Swift and the legislature to reverse funding decisions and restore needed preventive services such as routine exams, cleanings, fillings, and root canals for low-income adults and seniors.

Swift's current proposal to cut basic dental services for 500,000 Massachusetts adults would pay only for emergency visits, extractions, and dentures, and focus on pulling teeth rather than promoting good oral health. Oral health is linked to heart and lung disease, stroke, low birth weight, diabetes, and other major health conditions. Oral cancer, which can be detected in a routine dental visit, is more prevalent than melanoma, ovarian cancer, and cervical cancer, killing one person every hour, according to faculty at the dental schools. They deplore the cuts because "the proposed changes are fundamentally contrary to the ethical, educational, and clinical standards taught," according to a joint statement from the schools. "The proposed elimination of basic adult dental services from Medicaid demonstrates an ignorant and poor understanding of the role oral health plays in each person's general health."

Oral examinations contribute to the identification of over 100 systemic diseases, including AIDS, diabetes, and nutritional deficiencies. Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General (2000) warns that "ignoring oral health problems can lead to needless pain and suffering, causing devastating complications to an individual's well-being, with financial and social costs that significantly diminish the quality of life and burden American society."

Mandy Louis, a fourth-year student at the School of Dental Medicine, spoke at the rally, citing that the patient base most direly affected by the budget cuts "is a large portion of the patients I and my colleagues treat every day -- patients with multiple health issues, from varied socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds." She added, "Many of my fellow students at Boston University have plans to practice in community health center settings, devoted to giving back to a population that is all too often neglected and ignored. We are taught and truly do care for and about every patient, insured or not. . . . We must provide the very best care for each and every person in need of dental medicine. The thought of shutting out an entire demographic of patients, particularly the ones already compromised, is most disturbing and perilous."

BU announces new study abroad joint venture

Boston University and the London-based Practicum Europa have announced a joint venture to develop and broaden academic internship opportunities in Europe for American college students.

European Study Abroad (EUSA) will complement BU's existing European study abroad programs. It will establish and operate programs with professional practice internships in major European cities in several countries, including Belgium, France, Ireland, Italy, Spain, and the United Kingdom.

"This is an exciting new operation," says Urbain de Winter, associate provost for international programs. "It draws on BU's two decades of experience with internship programs in Europe and the excellent resources there." EUSA will provide a wide range of services, from establishing and managing the internship portion of an existing study abroad program to setting up and running a full academic program and ancillary services, including lodging and management resources to support the internships.

Aden Hayes of Practicum Europa's Madrid office says, "American educational institutions of all sizes are recognizing the need to build a bridge from the classroom to the professional world. Students, their parents, and boards of trustees are putting pressure on colleges to provide access to professional experience, which should be a part of any undergraduate education, just as English composition and world history are."

BU's study abroad program began in London in 1983. More than 600 students have been placed each year in professional practice opportunities.

TrainingTrack now available on Long Island

TrainingTrack, BU's innovative international training network comprised of regional training providers and academic institutions, announced February 5 that Novara Comp Services, Inc., is an official "Boston University education affiliate" and will offer BU's IT training and project management programs to professionals in the New York metropolitan area.

"Novara will be a great addition to the TrainingTrack network," says Andy Kelley, CEO of the program. "We're delighted to have a presence on Long Island. In return, we'll provide Novara with our courseware, and just as important, with the experience we've gained from 15 years of market dominance and educational excellence in arguably the most competitive education market in the country."

Miheer Shah, CEO of Novara, says, "Boston University has an excellent reputation here in New York. Many members of the local business community are BU graduates or can attest to the quality of BU's training programs because they've seen the difference firsthand."

For information about Novara's roster of BU IT and project management courses, visit www.TrainNY.com or call 877-TRAIN-NY.

SAR Center for Rehabilitation Effectiveness to cohost educational institute

The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) and the Sargent College of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences Center for Rehabilitation Effectiveness (CRE) will cohost an educational institute to help rehabilitation professionals realize and make the most of rehabilitation outcomes data from March 7 to 9 in Tucson, Ariz., and from June 9 to 11 in Boston. Outcomes Institute: Transforming Outcomes Data into Management Information will instruct participants in how to manipulate and analyze sample outcomes data, design and assess data collection projects, present findings to various audiences, and plan quality improvement activities. The institute is tailored for rehabilitation administrators, directors of quality improvement, and direct service providers who are involved in the design, analysis, and interpretation of outcomes, and is applicable to CARF-accredited programs in medical rehabilitation, behavioral health, employment and community services, adult day services, and assisted living as well as nonaccredited programs.

For more information, call 353-3277 or visit www.bu.edu/cre/courses/CARF2002.html or www.carf.org/Events/TransformingOutcomes.htm.

STH alum among first Extra Mile -- Points of Light honorees

On February 13 in Washington, D.C., the Points of Light Foundation unveiled the first bronze medallions in The Extra Mile -- Points of Light Volunteer Pathway, a new national monument that honors American citizens who dedicated their lives to creating solutions to serious social problems. Reverend Edgar J. Helms (STH 1895, Hon.'40), the founder of Goodwill Industries, is among the first honorees.

The son of pioneer farmers, Helms was born in 1863 near Malone, N.Y. After graduation from the School of Theology, the Methodist Church assigned him to Morgan Chapel, a mission in Boston's South End. When asked by poor people for help getting food and clothing, he took a burlap bag and went to Boston's wealthy citizens, asking for whatever clothing they could spare instead of for money. Helms hired people in need -- some of whom were considered unemployable -- to repair damaged items and sell the donated goods, which led to the first Goodwill store.

"The Extra Mile Pathway pays tribute to Americans who built their dreams into great movements that help people across America and the world," says Robert Goodwin, president and CEO of the Points of Light Foundation. "Through Goodwill Industries, Edgar J. Helms reached out to thousands of people who were unemployed and helped them gain the dignity of economic independence."

More than 70 hand-sculpted bronze medallions will form The Extra Mile Volunteer Pathway, a one-mile path adjacent to the White House and the U.S. Treasury Department. Each medallion will measure 42 inches in diameter and feature a rendering of the honoree, a description of his accomplishment, and a quotation. Clara Barton, Martin Luther King, Jr. (GRS'55, Hon.'59), and Susan B. Anthony join Helms in the first group of honorees.

BU is fourth-largest independent institution

The Integrated Post Secondary Education Data System has identified Boston University as the fourth-largest independent, not-for-profit postsecondary institution in the United States, based on enrollment for fall 2000. BU ranked above Harvard, BC, and Northeastern, with 28,318 students.

15 February 2002
Boston University
Office of University Relations