| Practice Type: |
Promising |
| Program Name: |
Licking County Dental Health Referral and Education Program |
| Organization: |
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| Web site: |
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| Overview: |
The Licking County Dental Health Referral and Education Program offers oral health case management to Medicaid recipients, the uninsured, and the underinsured. Referrals often come from outside agencies such as Job and Family Services, Women Infants and Children (WIC), Legal Aide, and Battered Women’s Shelter. The program also received referrals from marketing through public education to increase community awareness. Oral health case management helps individuals obtain access to dental health care and by matching them with appropriate providers.
Communities with a high number of low income individuals that lack access to dental care are good candidates for this program. However, the community must be willing to coordinate and collaborate with other agencies and dentists to provide oral health case management to qualified participants. Knowledge of the Medicaid system is also needed to successfully replicate this program. This program received 140 referrals between November 2003 and June 2004 with more then half being uninsured and underinsured. During that period 134 were referred to clinics or dental providers.
Goals and objectives of this program are to provide oral case management to the underserved population to facilitate access to dental health services. Individuals are assisted in finding a dentist, scheduling appointments and maintaining that appointment to complete their dental plan. In addition, transportation and day care assistance is also provided to ensure attendance. The program continues to collaborate with dentists and other agencies in an effort to increase the number of dentists willing to accept additional Medicaid patients, as well as, provide dental care to the uninsured and underinsured.
The Licking County Dental Health Referral and Education Program also provides oral health education to children in area schools, preschools and day care centers to educate youth in the importance of dental health care. |
| Year Submitted: |
0 |
| Responsiveness and Innovation: |
This practice addresses access to dental health care. Underserved Medicaid recipients and uninsured/underinsured individuals were often unable to gain access to dental care.This practice provides oral health case management to qualified persons and matching them with appropriate dental care providers.
This program provides case management to referred low income individuals to assist them in obtaining appropriate dental services depending on their needs. Once the need is assessed the program assists the individual in scheduling and keeping dental appointments. Transportation and day care needs are also addressed. |
| Agency and Community Roles: |
The health department employs a case manager that recruits dentists to participate in the program, receives training on Medicaid billing and continues to outreach to social service agencies about the program. The outside agencies keep in contact and refer when appropriate. The dentists involved in volunteering are encouraged to recruit fellow dentists. This program provides a service that is useful to local agencies who primarily work with low income population in need of dental health care. Meet and keep in contact with program staff regularly promoting the program and recruiting. |
| Costs and Expenditures: |
Year 1 $62,937, Year 2 $62,815 and Year 3 $65,248. Included in this grant is one part-time person and one full-time |
| Implementation: |
This practice addresses access to dental health care. Underserved Medicaid recipients and uninsured/underinsured individuals were often unable to gain access to dental care.This practice provides oral health case management to qualified persons and matching them with appropriate dental care providers.
This program provides case management to referred low income individuals to assist them in obtaining appropriate dental services depending on their needs. Once the need is assessed the program assists the individual in scheduling and keeping dental appointments. Transportation and day care needs are also addressed. |
| Sustainability: |
- Osteopathic Heritage Foundation Grant funded this practice.
- Area dentists are committed to providing low income individuals the necessary dental health care needed, but simply needed a central source to work with. Participating dentists inform other dentists about the program.
- This program is a three-year grant and Licking County Health Department will attempt to find alternate funding once the years are completed
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| Lessons Learned: |
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