ADA sets up program for needy areas
The American Dental Association has joined forces with Temple University to help underserved communities.
The association (ADA) and the university are working together to install Community Dental Health Coordinators (CDHCs) in areas in Philidelpia where many people have limited access to oral health care.
CDHCs will work as members of a community dental health team in their area helping patients navigate the health system to increase access to care and improve dental health.
As part of the new partnership, Temple will train CDHCs from urban areas in Philadelphia and send them back to communities to join dental teams.
In the past community health workers have had a huge impact on underserved communities – CDHCs will work in the same model but focus solely on dentistry.
Dr Ron Tankersley, ADA president, said that the association were delighted to join forces with Temple and claimed that the university would help the ADA further understand the needs of underserved communities.
Dr Amid Ismail, dean of Temple’s dental school, said that was aiming to bridge the gap between local groups and the health care system.
He added that CDHCs would help people scale bureaucratic barriers and increase access to care.
CDHC schemes, funded by the ADA, have already been taken up by the University of Oklahoma and University of California.
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