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PROGRAMS – EDUCATION
Extended Care Permit Project
Extended Care Permit legislation passed in the 2003 legislative
session allows registered dental hygienists (RDH’s) to provide
services in specified settings, such as nursing homes, local health
departments, schools, Head Start programs and correctional facilities,
if they meet certain criteria and are sponsored by a dentist.
Currently
in Kansas, only children receive comprehensive public health insurance
coverage for dental needs. The state will only
cover dental needs for adults on Medicaid in emergency situations.
For both populations, access to care is an extremely difficult
barrier to overcome. Approximately only 24% of dentists accept
Medicaid or HealthWave, and for adults without insurance, their
dental needs often go unmet or they must pay for expensive dental
care out of their own pockets.
For nursing home residents or individuals
with disabilities, there are often further barriers to accessing
dental care, such as a
lack of accessible dental facilities or providers who can address
their special needs, including health concerns.
The need for services
in these settings is high, and there is significant interest among
hygienists in providing services. Although passed
in 2003, there remains much confusion by interested parties about
how to go about utilizing the authority given to RDH’s in
these extended care settings.
Oral Health Kansas is currently working
on a project to provide information to those interested in providing
oral health care in
new and innovative ways as allowed under the legislation. The project
will offer education on the law, tools to facilitate agreements
and practice within these settings and technical assistance to
address barriers which are still emerging, including how to pay
for services and how to find a sponsoring a dentist.
Click Here to view the Extended Care Permit Toolkit.
For more information,
contact Marcia Manter, Project Coordinator, at MManter@OralHealthKansas.org.
Advanced Education General Dentistry (AEGD)
In response to current data indicating a dental workforce shortage
in Kansas, Oral Health Kansas, in cooperation with Sedgwick County,
released an RFP for a feasibility study to determine the effect
of locating a dental residency program near an underserved area.
Click here to download a fact sheet about the AEGD feasibility
study,
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