Representative Four Price named 2020 Health Equity Hero
In recognition of his leadership in protecting the health care of all Texans and commitment to closing gaps in care, Representative Four Price of Amarillo was recently honored with a national Health Equity Hero award. (File)
AMARILLO, Texas (KVII) — In recognition of his leadership in protecting the health care of all Texans and commitment to closing gaps in care, Representative Four Price of Amarillo was recently honored with a national Health Equity Hero award.
Sponsored by DentaQuest, the nation’s leading purpose-driven oral health organization, the award was one of 12 presented to individuals across the country for their heroic contributions in the time of COVID-19, according to a press release.
“Coronavirus exposed stark truths about our nation’s long-standing health disparities, hitting low-income communities especially hard and highlighting gaps in health literacy, access to care and trust in our systems of care,” said Dr. Gregory Stoute, a dental consultant for DentaQuest. “Representative Price has long been at the forefront of addressing these issues and we are proud to honor him as a DentaQuest 2020 Health Equity Hero.
"His work to expand access to mental health services and to promote the use of telemedicine to provide care to Texans in underserved rural communities has made a positive impact on the lives of millions of people and has been particularly important during this unprecedented time.”
DentaQuest made $5,000 contributions to nonprofit organizations in each of the 12 Health Equity Heroes’ names. Representative Price directed his contribution to Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch, which provides residential childcare services to meet the needs of children and their families.
“The physical and mental health of all Texans has always been a top priority of mine,” said Price. “I am pleased that legislation I authored to increase access to health care through expanding telemedicine and to enhance the way we treat and deliver mental health care, has become law in the state of Texas. We should continue to utilize technology when appropriate and improve access to quality health care, including oral health care. Moving forward, we need to evaluate all viable options so that the same people who rely on virtual visits with their physician can potentially receive oral health care through teledentistry.”
Now in its sixth year, the DentaQuest Health Equity Hero awards program celebrates individuals who are going above and beyond to expand access to equitable oral care and health care.
Previous DentaQuest Health Equity Hero award recipients in Texas include:
- Dennis Borel, executive director of Coalition of Texans with Disabilities (2019)
- Elaine Vivens, coordinator for the Children’s Oral Health Coalition (2018)
- Dr. Gary Schwarz, founder of Dentists Who Care (2017)
- Susan Campion, chief program officer for AIDS Services of Austin (2016)
- Edgar Carmona, Texas AIDS Interfaith Network, Manos Unidas (2015)
