The Camden County Health Department has received $5000 from The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation (CCGF) to begin an advanced vision screening program. The program will support the “Learning to Read, Reading to Learn” literacy improvement initiative which focuses on making sure that children are reading at grade level by the end of third grade.
The grant funding will allow the health department to purchase a Spot™ Vision Screener, a small machine that uses a non-invasive method to quickly and accurately detect vision problems in children. Currently, the health department uses a basic vision screen for children ages three to five as part of school readiness requirements. The Spot™ Vision Screener will allow the health department to screen children as young as six months and older than five years for a variety of problems. Children who need follow-up care can then be referred to a clinician for treatment.
“The earlier vision problems can be identified, the quicker we can try to get those problems corrected,” said Camden County Health Department Nurse Manager, Mallory Chappell, R.N. “Our long-term goal is to promote early literacy through reading. It is our hope that detecting vision problems in our children will help accomplish that goal.”
Part of the CCGF funding will also be used educate parents and caregivers on the importance of early vision screening and the impact of undetected and untreated vision problems on a child’s ability to read and learn.
“This grant will help us help the children in our community on several levels and we are truly grateful to be chosen as recipients by The Communities of Coastal Georgia Foundation,” said Chappell.
Pictured L to R: Coastal Georgia Foundation Board Member, Ed Andrews; Camden County Health Department Nurse Manager, Mallory Chappell, R.N.; and Coastal Georgia Foundation Board Member, Mary Root.
