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APRIL 2008
(Vol. 3, Issue 2)
IMPORTANT DATES
April 26-30,
2008: National
Oral Health Conference - Miami, FL
April 28-May
3, 2008: Cover
the Unisured Week
May 1-2,
2008: WDA
Jewel of the Great Lakes Wisconsin Dental Meeting -
Milwaukee, WI
May 7,
2008: Wisconsin
Dental Examining Board - Madison, WI
June 20,
2008: Wisconsin
Seal-A-Smile RFP Deadline
July 22,
2008: WOHC
Pre-Conference Session - Madison, WI
July 23-24,
2008: NALBOH/WPHA/WALHDAB
Public Health Partners Conference - Madison, WI
If you have
an event you would like added to this list please e-mail Matt
Crespin | |
|
 WOHC MEMBER
SPOTLIGHT
This
months WOHC spotlight shines brightly on Samantha
Twohig, RDH. Twohig is the oral health program
coordinator for the Fond du Lac County Health
Department. Twohig received her Associates Degree
in Dental Hygiene from Fox Valley Technical
College. Prior to working for the health
department she worked as a dental hygienist in private
practice.
The Fond du Lac County Health Department
has a unique approach to combating the oral health
access crisis our whole state is facing. Twohig
works with local dentists to accept children, who are
part of the Medicaid (MA) program, as patients of the
health department. In return the offices are
reimbursed by the health department at a higher rate
than they would be if they billed MA directly.
This has been made possible through funding
from the county budget and private donations.
Over 30 providers have chosen to participate
in this
program.
Twohig
reports that there are over 4,000 children in the county
enrolled in the MA program in a given month.
"Access to dental care is one of the biggest hurdles
these kids face" according to the Fond du Lac County
native. This program along with others like it
will be featured as part of the WOHC breakout session at
the upcoming Public Health Partners Conference in
Madison on July 22-24. The WOHC applauds the work
of Twohig and the Fond du Lac County Health Department
and wishes them continued success.
This section of the WOHC Oral
Health eBytes will feature a dedicated
member/organization of the coalition. If you have any
recommendations, please contact Matt
Crespin
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WISCONSIN
NEWS
Oral health funding
opportunity
The Wisconsin
Seal-A-Smile school-based sealant program announces its ninth
year of funding and will award grants to local sealant
programs. This year, $190,303 is available to programs
statewide, including $108,000 from state General Purpose
Revenue (GPR) and an additional $82,303 from a U.S. Department
of Health and Human Services grant. Previous individual
program awards have ranged from $1,200-$30,000 per program.
Get the request for
proposals (RFP) or for more information, contact Matt
Crespin, oral health project manager, at (414)
292-4002. All proposals are due June 20,
2008.
Children's Health Alliance of Wisconsin
receives oral health implementation
award
The
Alliance along with six community partners was recently
awarded a Healthier Wisconsin Partnership Program
Implementation award from the Medical College of Wisconsin for
Making Milwaukee Smile. The award of
$446,519 will be used over the next three years to
implement and evaluate the
coordination of oral health care for children at selected
Milwaukee Public Schools.
Making Milwaukee
Smile includes
specific initiatives to increase the number of children
enrolled in the Medicaid program, increase the number of
children that participate in school-based prevention programs
and coordinate restorative care for children with early and
urgent dental needs.
Partners include Children's
Hospital of Wisconsin Dental Center, Columbia St.Mary's
Hospital, Marquette University School of Dentistry, Medical
College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee Health Services Inc.,
Milwaukee Public Schools and Southeast Dental Associates. For
more information, contact Matt Crespin, oral health project
manager, at (414) 292-4002.
Karen Timberlake appointed new Secretary of
Department of Health and Family
Services
Governor Jim Doyle
announced that Secretary Kevin R. Hayden is leaving the
Department of Health and Family Services effective April 15,
2008. The Governor also announced that Karen Timberlake,
current Deputy Secretary at the Department of Health and
Family Services, has been appointed to succeed Hayden as
Secretary. The Coalition wishes to thank Hayden for all
that he did for Wisconsin and wishes him the best of
luck in his future endeavors. Click
here to read more.
What is BadgerCare
Plus?
BadgerCare Plus is a new program for
children under 19 years of age and families in Wisconsin who
need and want health insurance. BadgerCare Plus is for
all kids, regardless of income. Some pregnant
women, parents and caretakers, young adults who are leaving
the foster care system, parents with incomes up to 200% of the
Federal Poverty Level, farm families and self employed
families are also eligible. To learn more visit the
BadgerCare Plus Web site, or you
can call 1-877-KIDS-NOW to help determine eligibility.
Cover the Uninsured
Week
In Wisconsin, 11% of our friends, neighbors and
colleagues don't have health insurance and are forced to
gamble every day that they won't get sick or injured.
Living without health insurance is a risk no one should have
to take.
This year, we have a
historic opportunity to dramatically reduce the number of
uninsured people in the state with BadgerCare Plus. Help get
our state covered by participating in Cover the Uninsured Week.
Cover the Uninsured Week,
April 28-May 3, 2008, is a national effort to highlight the
fact that too many Americans are living without health
insurance and to demand solutions from our nation's leaders.
In Wisconsin, an estimated 570,000 residents (11%) were
uninsured during part or all of the year in 2006, including
about 98,000 children. For more information and to see
what is going on in your community click
here.
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NATIONAL
NEWS
ADA releases evidence-based
clinical recommendations for the use of pit-and-fissure
sealants
This study was prepared by an
expert panel convened by the American Dental Association
Council on Scientific Affairs. The panel examined what
circumstances warrant sealant placement to prevent
caries. Does the placement of sealants over early
lesions prevent progression of the lesion? In addition
the types and techniques of placement and their effect on
retention were also examined. To view this article click
here. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
will be releasing similar recommendations at the National Oral
Health Conference in Miami, Florida at the end of April.
Recent study looks at
the effect raising Medicaid reimbursement rates has
on access to dental care
This study, sponsored by the California
HealthCare Foundation, focuses on the efforts of six states
and compares their experiences to California's. The National
Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) conducted a literature
review and 26 key informant interviews to answer the question:
what effect does raising Medicaid reimbursement rates have on
access to dental care? Click
here to read or download the entire report.
AAPD Announces Partnership with Head Start
to Address Childhood
Epidemic
The American Academy of
Pediatric Dentistry (AAPD) announced a partnership with the
Office of Head Start (OHS) to help combat children's tooth
decay, the most common chronic childhood disease. The OHS has
awarded a five-year, $10 million dollar contract to the AAPD
to establish dental homes for one million children enrolled
annually in OHS programs. A dental home signifies that
children's oral health care is delivered by dentists to
children through an ongoing relationship that is
comprehensive, continuously accessible, coordinated and family
centered. "This is a huge step towards overcoming a problem
that affects millions of children across the country," said
AAPD Head Start Project Director James J. Crall. AAPD
President Keith R. Morley added, "Pediatric dentists and our
professional colleagues are eager to offer their services,
knowledge and commitment to help address the epidemic of
childhood dental disease that continues to affect millions of
American children." Click
here for more
information.
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WOHC UPCOMING EVENTS
Pre-Conference and Break out
session
The
Wisconsin Oral Health Coalition will be hosting a
pre-conference session as part of the 2008
Public Health Partners Conference to be held on July
22 in Madison. In addition, as part of the
conference itself, the Coalition will be hosting a breakout
session the morning of July 24. More information on
registration will be available soon but don't forget to save
the dates.
Local Coalition Networking
Group
The Wisconsin
Oral Health Coalition will be hosting monthly conference calls
for local oral health coalitions across the state. The
purpose of these meetings will be to network, share ideas and
update others on what your local coalition is doing.
Please contact Matt Crespin if
you are interested in participating. The first call will
take place in mid to late May based on the schedules of those
interested.
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