Adult Dental

Celebrating 2013

Date: December 17, 2013
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: ABCD, Adult Dental, Child Dental, Volunteer Dental Care
Member of the Pierce County Oral Health Coalition held their December meeting by celebrating the holidays at Olive Garden on Dec. 11. What a great looking group.

Member of the Pierce County Oral Health Coalition held their December meeting by celebrating the holidays at Olive Garden on Dec. 11. What a great looking group.

PCOHC members celebrated the culmination of another year of collaboration at our annual lunch and gift exchange.

Participating in the merry making were members from Bates College Dental Assisting Program, Bethel School District / Early Childhood & Preschool Program, Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children, Pierce County Dental Society, Puyallup Tribal Health Authority, SeaMar Community Health Care and the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department. We thanked Denise Goudelock for her many wonderful years of service and dedication as PCOHC’s secretary.

Wishes to all for a Healthy and Happy Holiday season!

Oral health procedures to be covered by adult dental Medicaid starting in January

Date: December 13, 2013
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: Adult Dental, Emergent Care, Medicaid

State health officials have released additional information concerning dental procedures that will be covered for Medicaid-eligible adults in Washington state, starting on Jan. 1, 2014.

An update on those procedures was recently shared at November meeting of the Washington Coalition on Medicaid Outreach by Dianne Baum, dental program manager for the Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA). The covered procedures include exams, X-rays, cleanings, fluoride varnish, fillings, periodontal care, root canals, dentures, extractions, and emergency services. Crowns will not be covered.

See the presentation for more details and the HCA’s news release from Oct. 10, 2013.

Starting in January, the Washington Medicaid Program will resume covering dental services for all adults with Medicaid. This includes residents who already have Medicaid and people who are eligible for “expanded Medicaid,” made possible by federal health care reform.

Partners in Action at Project Homeless Connect, October 2013

Date: November 6, 2013
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: Adult Dental, Emergent Care, Volunteer Dental Care

Pierce County Oral Health Coalition members returned to the Tacoma Dome on Oct. 23, 2013, to deliver oral health services to hundreds attending the recent Project Homeless Connect. Coalition members from a variety of Pierce County organizations, as well as individual dentists, volunteered their time to triage dental needs, provide oral health assessments, do cleanings, take X-rays, and offer restorative and  denture work, among other services. The majority of those who received services that day had unmet dental needs, received care to deal with urgent issues, and were referred to community resources for follow-up care as available.

Thank you to all of our oral health Partners in Action for their commitment to make oral health services accessible to all residents of Pierce County, and for volunteering their time and resources to events such as Project Homeless Connect.

Bates Free Dental Clinic – October 2013

Date: October 30, 2013
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: Adult Dental, Volunteer Dental Care

 

On Friday, Oct. 25, the Bates Dental Assisting Program opened its dental clinic, as it has in the past, to provide free dental care to uninsured Pierce County residents. The clinic was held in partnership with the Pierce County Dental Society and its Pierce County Dentists Care program. Pierce County Oral Health Coalition members and Pierce County dentists donated their time and resources to provide oral health assessments, X-rays, cleanings, and basic restorative care to 45 grateful patients. More than one-third of those with appointments were referred by the Project Homeless Connect dental team.

More Partners in Action…

 

 

Project Homeless Connect providing dental and other services on Oct. 23

Date: October 21, 2013
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: Adult Dental

Project Homeless Connect returns to the Tacoma Dome on Wednesday, Oct. 23, providing Pierce County residents a range of dental, medical, veterinary, social, and other services.

Those who are not able to be seen during the hours of service will receive resources for other services in the community. Past events have seen very high demand, so interested homeless individuals are encouraged to arrive early.

   What: Project Homeless Connect
   When: Wednesday, Oct. 23, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.
   Where: Tacoma Dome, 2727 East D St, Tacoma, WA 98421

More information about Project Homeless Connect can be found on the organization’s web site and on its Facebook page. A flyer for the event may be downloaded here.

For more information: visit www.pchomelessconnect.com or send an email to coordinator@pchomelessconnect.com.

State announces details on adult dental Medicaid benefit restoration

Date: October 14, 2013
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: Adult Dental, Health Care Authority, Medicaid

The Washington State Health Care Authority (HCA) has announced the types of dental procedures that will be provided with the restoration of the adult dental Medicaid benefit by the Washington State Legislature during the last legislative session. The benefit will be restored on Jan. 1, 2014.

The benefit previously had been reduced to emergency-0nly coverage as a result of budget cuts implemented by lawmakers in response to declining state revenues.

According to the HCA, the new benefit covers restorative and preventative services, resin partials and complete dentures, root canals, cavities, and routine checkups and cleanings, as well as emergency services.

The HCA reported the Medicaid program would begin notifying dentists this month that the benefit would be restored on the first day of the new year, and that offices and clinics could start making appointments with Medicaid clients after that date.

A copy of the HCA news release can be found on the agency’s web site.