According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, tooth decay is the most common chronic disease among American children. And data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports that 25 percent of children ages 5 to 19 who live at or below the federal poverty level have untreated tooth decay. These are some rather sobering statistics, impacting millions of children nationwide.
[Read more…] about Dental Care for ChildrenNational Health Center Week
This week is National Health Center Week. It’s a time for community health centers (CHC) around the country to take a collective bow, receive a standing ovation, and be recognized for the outstanding services and personalized care they provide annually to 24 million people across the U.S.
[Read more…] about National Health Center WeekWIC Nutrition Fair & Breastfeeding Services
A few weeks ago I blogged about “Baby Dental Days” at one of the Clackamas County (Oregon) Women, Infant and Children (WIC) centers. This event includes basic oral health screening, fluoride varnish, education and referral for children ages 0 to 5 who do not have a dentist. It occurs in conjunction with the monthly WIC Nutrition Fair. Last week I had the opportunity to visit the Oregon City center where Julie Albers, the public health programs manager, was kind enough to be my guide. She gave me a tour of the center, introduced me to WIC staff and the dentist, and discussed the programs.
[Read more…] about WIC Nutrition Fair & Breastfeeding ServicesBaby Dental Days
Many of you know about the WIC program. It’s officially called “The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children.” Since 1974 WIC has provided nutrition and breastfeeding education and support; health screening; referrals to other health, welfare and social agencies; and vouchers to buy healthy foods for low-income pregnant, nutritionally at-risk women.
[Read more…] about Baby Dental DaysGive Kids A Smile
As I mentioned in last week’s blog, February is National Children’s Oral Health Month, and about 1500 clinics nationwide use this opportunity to offer free dental services to about 450,000 underserved children. I want to give a special “shout-out” to Pacific University’s School of Dental Health Science for partnering with members of the Washington County (Oregon) Dental Society in providing dental care to children in the county.
[Read more…] about Give Kids A SmileNational Children’s Dental Health Month
Each February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors the month-long National Children’s Dental Health Month (NCDHM). The purpose of NCDHM is to raise awareness among children, their caregivers, teachers, and others about the importance of good oral health. The ADA believes that instilling “good habits at an early age and scheduling regular dental visits helps children to get a good start on a lifetime of healthy teeth and gums.” The ADA has multiple resources to help dental professionals, health care providers and educators nationwide promote the benefits of oral health. For more information, go to: http://www.ada.org/en/public-programs/national-childrens-dental-health-month/
[Read more…] about National Children’s Dental Health MonthComprehensive Primary Care Initiative
A First Evaluation
This past week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released findings from the Comprehensive Primary Care Initiative. This initiative is a unique multi-payer partnership between Medicaid private health care payers, Medicare, and primary care practices in four states (Arkansas, Colorado, New Jersey and Oregon [where I reside]) and three regions (New York’s Capital District and Hudson Valley, Ohio and Kentucky’s Cincinnati-Dayton region, and Oklahoma’s Greater Tulsa region).
[Read more…] about Comprehensive Primary Care InitiativeTelehealth
According to the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), telehealth is defined as “the use of electronic information and telecommunications technologies to support long-distance clinical health care, patient and professional health-related education, public health and health administration. Technologies include videoconferencing, the internet, store-and-forward imaging, streaming media, and terrestrial and wireless communications.” Telehealth is much broader than telemedicine. Whereas telemedicine specifically refers to clinical services, telehealth refers to non-clinical services as well.
[Read more…] about TelehealthFQHC Partners
As many of you have figured out, I’m passionate about highlighting the work provided by the federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), under the auspices of the Health Resources and Services Administration. For more than 45 years, FQHCs have provided comprehensive, culturally competent, quality primary health care services to medically underserved communities and vulnerable populations, with limited access to health care. And they’re way ahead of the curve in integrating medical, dental, and behavioral health care.
[Read more…] about FQHC PartnersOregon Rural Health Conference
I just came back from attending the 31st Annual Oregon Rural Health Conference in Sunriver, Oregon. The conference, presented by the Oregon Office of Rural Health (located at Oregon Health & Science University [OHSU]), brought together about 200 clinicians, administrators, academicians, coordinated care organization members, government officials and students, all committed to the idea of “Making Healthcare Reform Work for Rural Oregonians.” This conference was a wonderful opportunity for people to get together and not only talk about the issues facing rural communities but to proactively discuss ways to address and help to remediate these issues.
[Read more…] about Oregon Rural Health Conference