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Dental community provides free dental care at March 2015 Project Homeless Connect

Date: April 30, 2015
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: ABCD, Adult Dental, Affordable Care Act, Chidren's Dental, Child Dental, Emergent Care, Medicaid, Oral Health Strategies, Uncategorized, Volunteer Dental Care

During the Spring Project Homeless Connect (PHC), the Pierce County Dental Society and Oral Health Coalition members combined talent and services at Puyallup Fairgrounds on March 31, 2015 to provide dental care to community members in need. Participating organizations include Bates and Clover Park Technical College Dental Assisting Schools, Lindquist Dental Clinic for Children, Medical Teams International, Pierce College Dental Hygiene School, and many other private dentists.

The dental section of the event provided $30,234 in donated dental care that included screening 67 individuals and treating 23 in the dental hygiene area. The Medical Teams International dental van, with its volunteer professional dental staff, provided twenty-three patients with additional treatment.  Dental service area volunteers also referred PHC patients for follow up exams and community resources. The Pierce County Dental Society wishes to acknowledge all the oral health volunteers, partners and community resources who worked together to help those in need of dental services. Photos of some of the wonderful dental volunteers are shown below!

Planning for the next Project Homeless Connect is underway for late summer-early Fall 2015. For those interested in volunteering in the dental services area, please contact Cheryl Jenkins at pcds@pcdentists.org.

Professional Dental Team Volunteers
Dental Services Check-In Volunteers
Dental Referral & Resource Volunteers

Free dental services at March 2015 Project Homeless Connect

Date: February 20, 2015
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: ABCD, Adult Dental, Chidren's Dental, Child Dental, Emergent Care, Medicaid, Oral Health Strategies, Volunteer Dental Care

Project Homeless Connect returns to the Washington State Fairgrounds, Puyallup  on Tuesday, March 31, 2015. As in the past, the Pierce County Dental Society, along with other Pierce County Oral Health Coalition partners, will provide much needed dental assessments and treatment triage.

Doors open 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM.

PCOHC members interested in helping in the dental area should email pcds@pcdentists.org.

For more information and to share with the community as appropriate, click here for the event flyer: PHC_Flyer_March_2015_WA Fair Grounds

Oral health coverage and health care reform

Date: January 30, 2014
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: Adult Dental, Affordable Care Act, Chidren's Dental, Child Dental, Medicaid

The Pierce County Oral Health Coalition is proud to organize a presentation on Feb. 12, on oral health coverage issues and health care reform. Continuing education (CE) credits are available.

  • Restoration of adult dental Medicaid benefits in Washington State.  Presentation by Dianne Baum, Dental Program Administrator, Washington Health Care Authority, 1-2 p.m.
  • Pediatric dental benefits on the Washington Health Benefit Exchange (HBE). Presentation by Christine Gibert, HBE Senior Policy Analyst, 2-3 p.m.

The first presentation by Baum begins at 1 p.m., followed by Gibert at 2 p.m. Both presentations will take place at Evergreen State College-Tacoma Campus, located at 1201 6th Street, Tacoma, WA 98405. For a map, please go here.

The event is recommended for oral health professionals and providers and individuals and groups who work with populations who may eligible for these new benefits made possible through health care reform at the state and federal level.

Lunch will be provided; please RSVP by Feb. 6 at pcohc@pcdentists.org, or use our contact page.  Space may be limited. A copy of the flyer for the event can be found here.

Note: Gibert’s presentation was recently confirmed, and those who have already sent an RSVP for Baum’s presentation do not need to reply again.

Dental benefits and the Affordable Care Act

Date: December 27, 2013
Author: Dawn Jacobs
Categories: Affordable Care Act, Chidren's Dental, Child Dental

More than 8.5 million U.S. children are expected to receive dental coverage as part of the Affordable Care Act (ACA) within five years.

However, only one of five Americans know that children’s dental services are one of the 10 “essential health benefits” included in the health reform law, according to a recent survey by the Children’s Dental Health Project.

Coverage for children’s dental services continues to be available through the Medicaid program, including programs that existed prior to the ACA.

Informing Medicaid-eligible families of the new dental benefit, and stressing that dental health as an essential part of one’s overall health, remains a community-wide challenge.

In Pierce County, numerous groups, including PCOHC member organizations, are working to educate and assist residents apply for medical and dental benefits through the state-run web site called the Washington Healthplanfinder.  Given the results from the national survey, local advocates and dental professionals still face hurdles sharing news about the ACA’s oral health coverage for children and the importance of utilizing those benefits to improve oral health community-wide.