SEATTLE, March 1, 2011 --

This marks the PHPDA's first foray into funding dental access, a community need that has increased significantly due to the recent cuts in Washington state Medicaid coverage for dental services for adults. The PHPDA and SKCDF grant will help implement two pilots targeting low-income, uninsured patients.

The first pilot focuses on patients with oral health needs that must be resolved before they can be put on a transplant list. SKCDS worked closely with the Northwest Kidney Center to develop a case management pilot for these patients. The pilot was successful, and this partnership with PHPDA enables the work to continue. Nearly 50 patients have been successfully treated through this pilot program, and more than $120,000 of care has been donated. Two patients have successfully received transplants and more than 20 are cleared for transplant and awaiting a suitable match.

Additionally, SKCDS met with community health center dental directors to determine the priority dental needs for their patient population. The dental directors identified a critical need for oral surgery and other specialty care for dental patients, services beyond the scope of the dental practices in the community clinics. 

The patients in these two pilots will either receive dental care in a dentist's private practice or at the Swedish Community Specialty Clinic. The SKCDS and SKCDF are leading the effort to fund dedicated dental space at the clinic.

To support both pilot programs, the PHPDA is providing a grant of $51,000 to King County Project Access (KCPA) to provide the case management services for both pilots.  

"We are delighted to partner with the PHPDA for this work," said Jennifer Freimund, Executive Director, SKCDS. "We are grateful to the PHPDA for this opportunity to support a dental model for our community helps address this important need."

In 2009, there were almost 68,000 users of safety net dental clinics in King County. Dental disorders continue to be one of the top complaints of uninsured patients in our King County hospital emergency departments.