A $135,000 grant announced by Gov. Robert Bentley will enable Alabama children in seven counties to continue to receive vital free health screenings that alert medical professionals of any serious issues and help students reach full potential in the classroom.
Funds from the Appalachian Regional Commission will help Sight Savers America to continue its KidCheck Plus for Appalachia Alabama. The program will provide basic exams and dental and eye screenings for school children in Bibb, Chambers, Clay, Hale, Macon, Pickens and Randolph counties.
“As a physician I recognize that early diagnosis of medical conditions goes a long way in providing proper treatment and preventing conditions from worsening,” Bentley said. “By ensuring that children are healthy, this program provides them with a leg up on doing well in school and accomplishing their goals.”
Throughout Alabama, KidCheck provides more than 20,000 health screenings annually for K-12th grade students. The free screenings are the only contact many of the students will have with medical professionals through the year, according to KidCheck organizers.
The Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs manages the ARC program in Alabama.
“Furnishing a student with eye glasses or stopping a tooth from aching can make all the difference in the world in how that student feels and how they perform in the classroom,” ADECA Director Jim Byard Jr. said “Making a difference in someone’s life is all the more reason for this invaluable partnership among organizations like Sight Savers with ADECA and the Appalachian Regional Commission.”
ARC is an economic development agency of the federal government and 13 state governments. The agency’s mission is to innovate, partner, and invest to build community capacity and strengthen economic growth in Appalachia to help the Region achieve socioeconomic parity with the nation.
ADECA manages a range of programs that support law enforcement, economic development, recreation, energy conservation and water resource management.
-30-
Contact Jim Plott or Mike Presley