docbraces launches Homeroom Hero campaign to support Canada's classrooms

Participating Canadian Orthodontic Partners clinics across Canada are helping to bring more PPE to classrooms

TORONTO, Sept. 29, 2020 /CNW/ - Back-to-school season feels different this year. Whether students are in classrooms full-time or partially, Canadian Orthodontic Partners and its docbraces member clinics across Canada want to make the transition a little easier. With this in mind, the Homeroom Hero campaign is offering patients and members of the surrounding communities the opportunity to receive kits containing protective face coverings and hand sanitizer to share with their schools.

Available for a limited time, on a first-come, first-served basis, the Hero Kits contain 25 machine-washable face masks and 25 individual bottles of hand sanitizer. They will also include educational posters to hang in a classroom, to help spread knowledge about how to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

With many schools recently encountering additional technology costs as a result of online classes, each Homeroom Hero application will also automatically be entered into a draw to win $1,000 for their classroom, to be used by the class teacher towards the purchase of materials to support online learning.

"Our local communities are integral to our clinics, so finding a way to give back to them was a must," says Anthony Milonas, President and CEO of Canadian Orthodontic Partners. "Given the value that we place on health and safety, education, and community, being able to offer PPE through the Homeroom Hero campaign represents one small way we can support our patients and neighbours during this challenging time. It's important that we give students and their families the confidence to feel good about being back in schools."

Canadian Orthodontic Partners has welcomed commitment from several key business partners to further the reach of the Homeroom Hero campaign. Align Technology, provider of the Invisalign® clear aligner system, is proud to support Canadian Orthodontic Partners' efforts to help protect students this fall. "We are happy to be a part of this campaign to support doctors and communities throughout Canada," noted Sian Roberts, VP and GM, Align Technology, Canada. "The health and safety of our customers, their offices and their patients continues to be our top priority throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. We're all in this together."

The contest for the $1,000 prize is also open to non-patient students who are interested in supporting classroom and community safety. By taking the #smileSAFE pledge online, participants commit to practicing regular and proper handwashing, maintaining distance whenever possible, alerting teachers or parents if they're feeling unwell or if they observe unsafe conditions, and wearing a mask at all required times. Students will be entered to win the $1,000 prize and have their pledge counted towards the national #smileSAFE Pledge Counter. Pledgers are also able to print out the educational posters by visiting info.docbraces.com/hero-pledge.

"Teaching students about the ways they can protect themselves, and those around them, and providing them with the tools to do so is critical," says Milonas. "Our objective has always been to deliver high-quality care to our communities. Investing in this kind of care will go a long way in keeping our communities safer and contributing to the confidence of our local families."

About Canadian Orthodontic Partners

The Canadian Orthodontic Partners and docbraces national network of community-based orthodontic clinics delivers personalized treatment ? one beautiful smile at a time. Orthodontist-founded and led, Canadian Orthodontic Partners' values are rooted in providing superior patient care and treatment outcomes.

As healthcare professionals who have always followed strict hygiene and sterilization practices as a matter of everyday protocol, the network recently implemented important additional measures to help protect the health of patients, their families, and their local communities against the spread of COVID-19. The smileSAFE Risk Management Framework helped guide all partner clinics across Canada through a safe reopening following the 2020 COVID-19 closure period.

SOURCE The Canadian Orthodontic Partners