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Excellent Oral Health for ALL Virginians

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Dine Out with VaOHC
Sine Die Report
Of Interest
Get Involved!

There are lots of opportunities to use your skills and talents to help improve oral health in Virginia.

Join a VaOHC
Action Team

Action teams are made up of stakeholders from throughout the state and work to meet the objectives of the Virginia Oral Health Plan. Teams include:

Teledentistry
Early Dental Home 
VA Oral Health Summit

Contact Katherine Libby to join an action team.
 

Volunteer at a VDA Foundation Event

  

 

VSU Cares
Mini-MOM
Saturday, April 12
VA State University

Special Olympics MOM
Saturday, June 7
University of Richmond
 
If you have an opportunity to get involved, please contact Samantha Dorr.

Dine Out with VaOHC on Monday, June 2!


Join VaOHC staff at Toast restaurant in Richmond on Monday, June 2! A portion of all food sales (including carry out!) from 11am to 11pm will be donated to VaOHC.
 
Make your mouth happy!

Toast

7007 Three Chopt Rd

Richmond, VA 23226 

  

Please take a moment to support the Coalition's work.

 

 

 

Read about the Coalition's accomplishments

 

Please check with your HR department to find out if your gift can be matched. 

March 2014 Newsletter

Sine Die Report

 

The 2014 session of the Virginia General Assembly adjourned on March 8th.  The budget remains unresolved because of an impasse over whether or not to expand Medicaid; the members will reconvene in a special session on March 24th to address the budget.  Following is an update of legislative issues pertinent to access to oral health services.  

 

Comprehensive Dental Benefits for Pregnant Women

If included in the final budget, 15,000 pregnant women currently enrolled in Medicaid will gain coverage for comprehensive dental care.  While the Senate budget included funding for comprehensive dental benefits for pregnant women enrolled in Medicaid and FAMIS MOMS, the House budget did not. Because this is a budget amendment, it remains in conference committee.

 

Medicaid Expansion

If Medicaid eligibility expands in Virginia, nearly 400,000 Virginians will have access to an emergency extraction benefit - reducing use of the emergency department for dental issues. This issue remains unresolved, and the debate about whether or not to expand Medicaid coverage in Virginia will likely continue beyond the special session on the 24th.  

 

Teledentistry Pilot Program

SB647 and HB147: Carried over; will not be enacted at this time

This bill would have created a pilot program which utilizes teledentistry to supervise dental hygienists providing care in a school-based setting. The bill was continued to the 2015 Session, which means that, at this time, the bill will not become a law and the program will not be funded.

 

Reasonable Assurance of Pediatric Dental Benefit

HB33: Awaiting the Governor's signature

This bill was introduced to require insurers that offer a health plan outside of the exchange in either the small group or individual market to prominently disclose to consumers upon purchase if a plan does not provide the required essential pediatric dental benefit.  This legislation passed in both chambers.

 

Deferred Compensation for Medicaid Providers

SB412 and HB147: Awaiting the Governor's signature

Dentists and oral and maxillofacial surgeons who participate in Virginia Medicaid may place payment they receive for treating Medicaid patients in a Virginia Retirement System deferred compensation plan.

 

Read the complete Sine Die report, which includes additional oral health-related legislation.

 
Of Interest

  

Oral Health and Overall Health

  

Smile CircleOral health and overall health are fundamentally intertwined. The following links present current information on how oral health is connected to overall health and well-being.  

  

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AAPD Report: The State of Little Teeth

 

The American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry's report "The State of Little Teeth" addresses the growing epidemic of tooth decay among US children.

 

Read a summary article from Contemporary Pediatrics

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Report: Rising Oral Health Emergency Room Spending in Florida

 

Hospital Sign A study by the Florida Public Health Institute shows that Floridians are using the emergency room (ER) for preventable dental conditions in ever increasing numbers at an extremely high cost to the state.

 

Read the press release and view the ER data

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Help Grow the Oral Health Social Media Network

 

In an effort to grow a collective, web-based network of oral health stakeholders, VaOHC has created an online clearing house for social media account listings - and we need your help to fill it out! Please visit the list online and enter as much information as you'd like about your organization's social media presence. Be sure to follow the other accounts on the list as well. Questions? Contact Samantha Dorr.

 

Access the Oral Health Social Media List

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Please visit our website for more oral health information