Attendees:
Stacy Trowbridge
Angie Smith
Emily Schlafke
Kristy Ray
Linda Poynter
Emily Beauregard
Laura Hancock Jones
Mahak Kalra
Tara Grieshop Goodwin
Discussion:
- Discussion of uniform standards for public health dental hygienists
- Report from the May 11th board meeting –
- The Kentucky Board of Dentistry has approved the protocols. A special designation license available for application on their website.
- Dr. McKee and the DPH are working at this time to have the protocols listed in the Administrative Reference.
- Local Health Departments need to have the protocols approved by their board of health, and have a dentist board member sign off on them as supervising dentist.
- Dr. McKee shortened down the regs from 60 pages to 1, saying they will only do what they are authorized to do.
- Not only limited to schools but any facility that has state or governmental ties – like a nursing home with state ties.
- Planning to start school program without dentist doing screenings; consent form has to say that no dentist is present.
- Linda acknowledged Dr. McKee and Donna Ruley, to name just a couple, for working for so many years on this. THANK YOU!
- Report from the May 11th board meeting –
- Next steps:
- Dr. McKee share that they are looking into options of having those of who are actually working as PHRDHs to promote and/or training for other KY Local Health Departments to start up their own programs.
- Dr. McKee: trying to get preventive Medicaid checkup included into the Medicaid dental budget is a hard sell.
- They were requesting that Medicaid directors add two more codes for hygienists– assessment and screening.
- Dr. McKee asked her supervisors about adding codes to come out of the preventive Medicaid package for assessments, oral hygiene instruction, nutrition counseling and a few more.
- State does not approve any payment under preventive package except nurses and hygienists providing fluoride in clinics.
- Need to keep communicating need for more school-based health services to exist.
- Discussion on Mobile Dental Clinics and ways to ensure quality care from mobile dental clinics.
- It’s important to establish a dental home to improve abandonment of care.
- As a coalition we said we would possibly create materials to address what services to look for, tips, and questions for schools, parents and providers to ask.
- Laura is working on draft and will share with group for feedback by June 21st.
- Will disseminate information at the upcoming FRYSC conference this summer.
- We will share info on mobile dental clinics, in addition to sharing coalition information.
- Also discussed preparing a document on programs that are in existence and the region in which they are located
- Maybe prepare a separate document for school folks on public health dental hygienists
- Availability to staff booth: Linda checking on 8th; Barren River on 9th