What an incredible journey this has been! We are honored and humbled to announce that KinderSmile Foundation’s documentary Toothache: The Painful Truth About Oral Health Inequity was awarded the Best Home Grown Documentary Feature last night at the prestigious 22nd Annual Garden State Film Festival in Asbury Park!
Being among other story tellers and people from the film industry made this weekend surreal and unexpected. We produced this documentary with the intention of raising awareness of the need to increase access to oral health care in the state of New Jersey. We are grateful to the Garden State Film Festival, Founder Diane Raver, and Executive Director Lauren Concar Sheehy for giving us this platform to share the stories of our forgotten communities.
Through meaningful conversations with families, staff, public health advocates, and New Jersey stakeholders, Toothache brings to light real stories that we see everyday. It exposes the gap in access to oral health care and outlines a roadmap of solutions for a healthier future for marginalized communities in our state, bringing attention to the need for change, and advocating for a call to action. We are calling for budget and policy updates and regulations related to the Medicaid system, credentialing, and the installation of a line item in the state budget that is dedicated to oral health.
Thank you to our documentary sponsors, The George H. and Estelle M. Sands Foundation, Partners for Health Foundation, and First Bank for believing in our efforts. Thank you to our village for all of your support! Together, we will continue to raise awareness of the need to make oral health a priority, and change the landscape of access to oral health care in our Garden State. “It truly takes a village to prevent a death from oral disease!” #ItTakesAVillageKSF
