2004 Colgate/ADHA Award Presented to Oregon Dental Hygienists’ Association-Washington County

Chicago—August 17, 2004—The American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA) and Colgate Oral Pharmaceuticals Inc, a subsidiary of the Colgate Palmolive Company, have named the Washington County Dental Hygiene Association (WCDHA), a component of the Oregon Dental Hygiene Association, a winner of the Colgate/ADHA Community Outreach Award.

The award is presented to ADHA component organizations that have implemented significant community outreach programs focusing on preventive oral health care.

Writing the award citation on behalf of the component was Kristen Simmons, BSDH, RDH. She received her associate degree from Parkland College in Champagne, Ill., in 1984, and her bachelor’s degree from Eastern Washington University in Vancouver, Wash., in 2001. Laurie Johnson, RDH, MA, received the award on behalf of the component.

The award was presented to the WCDHA for the “I Want Fluoride in the Water” program. This grass-roots campaign focused on individual cities in Oregon, promoting legislation on the fluoridation of water. The campaign which began after statewide fluoridation legislation failed, asked residents to write their city council’s members and say “I want fluoride in the water.”

The recipients of the award were honored at ADHA’s annual session in Dallas on June 23. The winners each received a $2,000 donation for their component, a commemorative award and an expense-free trip to Dallas for the ceremony.

ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of the more than 120,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support the total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about ADHA, dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit ADHA at http://www.adha.org.

Colgate-Palmolive is a leading global consumer products company, tightly focused on oral care, personal care, home care and pet nutrition.

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