ACS Expands National Dental Outreach Program to Dallas
March 27 2008 - 6:00AM
PR Newswire (US)
Elementary school children to benefit from free dental screening
DALLAS, March 27 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- As part of its
nationwide Dental Outreach Initiative, Affiliated Computer
Services, Inc. (ACS) will sponsor free dental education and
screening for children in Dallas on Friday, March 28. The event
will be held for pupils at Nancy J. Cochran Elementary School, 6000
Keeneland Parkway in Dallas, starting at 9:00 a.m. The program,
conducted in partnership with local volunteer dental professionals,
provides free dental education and screenings to underserved
children. ACS extended the initiative to Texas in September 2007
with a goal of educating and screening 2,000 children throughout
the state. The program serves children in six states and the
District of Columbia. Since the initiative was launched in 2004,
more than 25,000 children have received dental education. "With our
deep roots in Texas, we are concerned about the health and well-
being of our state's neediest children," said Kevin Kyser, ACS
chief financial officer. "As a responsible corporate citizen, ACS
is committed to helping Texans build and improve their lives.
Working with our partners through the Dental Outreach is an
opportunity to teach children habits that will profoundly benefit
their lives for years to come." The ACS Dental Outreach Initiative
provides free dental screenings and education seminars on dental
hygiene by licensed professionals. To reinforce what they learn
during the seminars, students receive a gift bag containing a
toothbrush, toothpaste, and dental education material. In addition,
children receive a screening evaluation and a recommendation report
to share with their parents or guardian. "The ACS Dental Outreach
Initiative is our way of reaching into communities throughout the
state to help Texas children have not only healthy smiles, but
healthy futures as well," said Kyser. For many children, the ACS
Dental Initiative screening will be their first dental check-up. In
fact, the American Dental Association (ADA) and the American
Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) state that children from low-income
families are less likely to see a dentist regularly, and suffer
twice as many dental cavities as their peers. In addition, pain and
suffering due to untreated disease lead to problems in eating,
speaking and paying attention in school. The ADA and the AAP also
note that 51 million school hours are lost each year as a result of
dental-related problems. Along with Texas, the initiative benefits
children in Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Mississippi, Tennessee, and
the District of Columbia. ACS' approximately 7,000 employees in
Texas provide services to commercial and government clients. These
include city, county, and state government, as well as businesses
in the financial services, healthcare, and other industries. ACS
provides Medicaid claims processing, operations support, and
primary care case management program administration for the Texas
Health and Human Services Commission through the Texas Medicaid
& Healthcare Partnership. ACS, a global FORTUNE 500 company
with 62,000 people supporting client operations reaching more than
100 countries, provides business process outsourcing and
information technology solutions to world-class commercial and
government clients. The company's Class A common stock trades on
the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol "ACS." Learn more
about ACS at http://www.acs-inc.com/ . DATASOURCE: Affiliated
Computer Services, Inc. CONTACT: Andy Wilson, Director of Corporate
Communications, Affiliated Computer Services, Inc.,
+1-214-841-8004, Web site: http://www.acs-inc.com/
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