North Carolina to open 10 Safety Net Solutions dental clinics

In tough economic times, safety net health providers experience dramatic growth in the number of individuals and families seeking services, including dental care.

The DentaQuest Institute's Safety Net Solutions program has been successful in helping health centers prepare for and manage the demand for services so the institute is better able to help more people in need of care.

A recent grant from the Blue Cross and Blue Shield of North Carolina Foundation is bringing the SNS program into 10 North Carolina communities.

As a result of the $187,750 grant, the DentaQuest Institute's Safety Net Solutions program will be working with 10 dental clinics across North Carolina to increase access to care for dental services and to enhance the financial sustainability of safety net dental practices.

The sites include: Mission Hospital, Wake Health Services, Carolina Family Centers, Greene County Health Care, and Blue Ridge Regional Hospital, as well as clinics operated by Columbus County Health Dept., County of Durham, Dare County Dept. of Public Health, Guilford County Dept. of Public Health, and Wake County Government.

"There is a troubling disparity in the access to, and utilization of dental care in North Carolina," said Kathy Higgins, president of the BCBSNC Foundation. "We are encouraged by this initiative and the opportunity to align the expertise of SNS with that of North Carolina's safety net clinics, in-turn enhancing the sustainability and impact of our state's dental safety net."

Added Dr. Mark Doherty, SNS program director: "The BCBSNC Foundation is an important partner for Safety Net Solutions in supporting key health centers achieve their mission of helping their community. In tough economic times, our nation's network of safety net dental programs is more important than ever. SNS supports them with the mentoring of our faculty of national experts in community oral health program management."

The SNS program provides technical assistance to nonprofit dental programs across America. Working with the SNS team, the dental clinic staff evaluates current practices and creates business models that make them better able to meet demands for community-based oral health care and achieve financial sustainability.

The North Carolina clinics were chosen based on the demonstrated need for increased access to oral health care in the communities they serve, their commitment to participate in the evaluation process and share their experiences with other community safety net dental clinics, and their commitment to model improvement recommendations and practices.

The program has gained success. Within one year of receiving technical assistance from SNS, individual dental care providers on average achieved:

* An 11% increase in patient visits;
* An additional 709 patients per site;
* A 216% increase in bottom line performance; and
* A 20% increase in net revenue.

The current U.S. population consists of more than 100 million people from low-income families, and according to the Journal of the American Dental Association, more than 72 percent of them are not seeing a dentist.

This is coupled with the fact that, as America's economic situation remains volatile, safety net dental practices across the country are struggling to provide quality care for the nation's most vulnerable people while maintaining sufficient financial performance to keep their practices open.

Throughout the process of working with SNS, clinics are guided by a faculty of national expert advisors who collectively represent decades of front-line experience in community health, business, dental program leadership, and practice management expertise.

With continued support from DentaQuest and outside funding, like that of the BCBSNC Foundation and others, SNS aims to have a broad, national impact on the oral health safety net and improved access to quality publicly funded oral health care.

For more information, visit DentaQuest Institute.

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