Community Voices Projects To Address Dental Health Accessibility

Millions of Americans — particularly those underserved by existing health care plans — suffer from easily preventable dental diseases and conditions. Like any illness, oral disease can adversely affect work productivity and school attendance, which are already threatened in at-risk communities.

Yet oral health is typically not seen as a frontline health issue by the general public. Steps are being taken to address this.

Oral health is one focus of the W.K. Kellogg Community Voices initiative, operating in 13 communities across the U.S. and coordinated by CPA. The Community Voices projects will work to improve accessibility to health care services in underserved communities, while sharing the best practices gained at each site among other project locations.

Obstacles to dental health in vulnerable communities are many and varied. Those without insurance and unable to pay for dental care often go without it. Many dental providers don’t participate in Medicaid and those that do cite poor reimbursement rates from Medicaid. Outreach efforts in low-income communities are also lacking.

CPA and the Community Voices sites are working together on policy and community-based solutions that can help alleviate these problems.

In New York City, the Northern Manhattan Community Voices Collaborative plans to expand school-based services and build three new community-based dental clinics as part of the effort to provide dental services to over 200,000 underserved residents of Washington Heights/Inwood and Central Harlem.

Both CHIPs (Children’s Health Insurance Programs) and the provision of services through school-based health clinics make it easier for children to obtain preventive dental care. Community health workers can assist in outreach and education about oral health and local oral health services.