The CVHN StoryChildren’s Volunteer Health Network began in 2005, when one little boy’s crooked smile touched the heart of Tricia Carlisle-Northcutt. Tricia volunteered at an outreach program at her church, and every Tuesday, Tyler and his little brother were there “only for the cookies,” he would say. Tyler was disruptive, funny and had great leadership potential, but his jumbled mouth of teeth caused him emotional pain. He was called “Monster Mouth” and ridiculed by other children and, in turn, became a bully and show off. He was routinely suspended from school for fighting. Over a period of a few months, Tricia knew that Tyler needed to be helped or he would be a lost
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child. She also believed there were many more children like Tyler who could not afford dental or medical health care. Through a lot of prayer and research, the idea for Children’s Volunteer Health Network was born.
Volunteer doctors and dentists could donate their time, and volunteers would make sure the kids got to their appointments. In theory, it sounded great. Getting there was going to be a Herculean task. Tricia called 3 people in her church community and asked them to help form this faith based organization. All three of them said, “let’s do it!” The next step was convincing an orthodontist to see Tyler at no cost. With the first phone call placed and Tyler’s story shared, Dr. Runnels said, “Yes!” Tyler would get his braces. From that day forward, there was no going back. And for Tyler it was life changing. His grades improved, he became manager of his wrestling team and he learned that there was an entire community that cared for him.
Volunteer doctors and dentists could donate their time, and volunteers would make sure the kids got to their appointments. In theory, it sounded great. Getting there was going to be a Herculean task. Tricia called 3 people in her church community and asked them to help form this faith based organization. All three of them said, “let’s do it!” The next step was convincing an orthodontist to see Tyler at no cost. With the first phone call placed and Tyler’s story shared, Dr. Runnels said, “Yes!” Tyler would get his braces. From that day forward, there was no going back. And for Tyler it was life changing. His grades improved, he became manager of his wrestling team and he learned that there was an entire community that cared for him.
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Who We Are:
Children’s Volunteer Health Network, Inc., HEALTHY HAPPY KIDS, is a faith-based 501(c)3 organization, established in 2005 in direct response to Walton and Okaloosa counties’ large population of families who are unable to access high-quality health services due to the unavailability (or inadequacy) of insurance.
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What We Do:
Our organization facilitates the delivery of comprehensive, direct medical, dental and mental health services to schoolchildren whose family income falls below certain measures throughout Walton and Okaloosa Counties and surrounding communities.
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Why We Do It:
An estimated 25% of Walton County and 13% of Okaloosa County children have no health insurance. 60% of Walton County families have no dental insurance. And only 15 dentists in Walton County serve a population of over 50,000 people.
We are a faith-based organization with total reliance on God. The spark that ignited the concept for the Children’s Volunteer Health Network…. Read the rest of the CVHN Story » |
“It is the right of every child to have access to quality health care."
Easier said than done. Children insured under Kid Care, the Florida Medicaid program, have serious problems receiving care due to fee cuts (which have discouraged the enrollment of physicians). Only one dentist in Okaloosa county accepts Medicaid clients; and, not even one dentist in Walton County accepts Medicaid.
CVHN vigorously recruits healthcare professionals and volunteers who share a common belief that they can make a difference in the life of a child by meeting immediate healthcare needs of area children. Moving forward to solve the problem is the only option.
CVHN vigorously recruits healthcare professionals and volunteers who share a common belief that they can make a difference in the life of a child by meeting immediate healthcare needs of area children. Moving forward to solve the problem is the only option.
