Smiles were all around on Sept. 24 as EBR Schools held the ribbon-cutting for the Miles for Smiles Mobile Dental Care at Brownfields Elementary School.
EBR Schools and Miles for Smiles are partnering to bring dental services directly to district elementary schools.
The Miles for Smiles mobile dental unit functions as a dental office on wheels, allowing students to receive comprehensive dental services at their school. Services may include cleanings, fillings, treatment for broken teeth and other routine dental care. Students requiring more complex surgical procedures will be referred to outside dental providers.
Brownfields Principal Kashanna Davis was excited about welcoming the program and visitors to her campus at 11615 Ellen Drive. After a brief program, visitors gathered outside for the ribbon-cutting and tour of the mobile dental care unit.
“This partnership is really important to me because the Miles for Smiles comprehensive dental care will remove barriers for receiving dental care,” Davis said.
“We’re really excited to start this program in our schools. Miles for Smiles is a wonderful opportunity for our students and for our schools,” said Stacey Dupre, chief officer of Support Health and Wellness for EBR Schools.
Miles for Smiles was founded more than 10 years ago in Caddo Parish in the Shreveport area by Dr. Jeremy Simms Alexander and his wife, Anneka.
“I appreciate the opportunity that’s been created for us to extend our care to EBR and the city of Baton Rouge,” said Dr. Simms Alexander, who attended Southern University and LSU. “It feels good to have a service and purpose as a dentist, to be able to provide service to people who need it the most. That’s something I prayed about years ago.”
He said Miles for Smiles serves 6,000 students a year in Caddo Parish and hopes to do the same in Baton Rouge.
“The true work starts today here at this school,” he said.
Anneka Simms Alexander, the executive director of Miles for Smiles and an educator, noted that Louisiana ranks near the bottom nationally in adult oral health outcomes, and the entire state is designated as a “healthcare professional shortage area” for oral health care.
“If we want to see those outcomes change for the state of Louisiana, we have to start with our future — our students. We have to get them healthy. We don’t want them to be afraid to go to the dentist,” she said. “Students are excited to go onto the mobile unit. We do not strap them down. We do not force treatment. We want to feel safe and comfortable, and we want them to be healthy and happy.”
She wants students to understand the importance of caring for their teeth and overall health.
“I’ve seen it over the last 13 years when I was in the classroom, you cannot teach, educate or do anything with a child that’s in pain,” she said. “We want them to be healthy. We want them to be taken care of.”
The program will be coordinated through EBR Schools’ Department of Health Services, school nurses and a designated contact at each participating school.
The service will accept insurance, including Medicaid and other eligible plans, and will also work to expand access for students without dental coverage.
Miles for Smiles plans to serve 20 elementary schools during this semester, with plans to expand to all district elementary schools by the end of the 2026-27 school year.
Phase I schools are:
- Belfair Elementary
- Broadmoor Elementary
- Brownfields Elementary
- Capitol Elementary
- Claiborne Elementary
- Crestworth Elementary
- Forest Heights Elementary
- Glen Oaks Park Elementary
- Greenbrier Elementary
- LaBelle Aire Elementary
- Magnolia Woods Elementary
- McKinley Elementary
- Melrose Elementary
- Merrydale Elementary
- Park Forest Elementary
- Park Medical Academy
- Parkview Elementary
- Twin Oaks Elementary
- Villa del Rey Elementary
- Wildwood Elementary
“The board has thought a lot over the last four years that I’ve been on it about getting students the services that they need near where they live, where they’re already coming every day,” said School Board member Patrick Martin.
For more information about Miles for Smiles, visit Miles for Smiles.
