The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA

Abstract #36416

Sarah H. Hanson, MAT, health care consultant, 1100 Fairview Dr, Marshfield, WI 54449, 715-387-3553, schanson@wctc.net and Gayle L. Goldin, MA, Volunteers in Health Care, 111 Brewster Street, Pawtucket, RI 02860.

Since the publication of the U.S. Surgeon General's Report in June 2000, the lack of oral health services for the underserved has received increased attention. Although dentists, other dental professionals and physicians, have provided free or discounted services for decades, care has been provided on a case-by-case basis and has been difficult to document. At the same time, organized programs that use volunteer clinicians have gone largely unnoticed. Over the past three years, Volunteers in Health Care (VIH), a national resource center established for health care providers looking to organize or expand volunteer-based programs for the uninsured, has accumulated information on viable dental programs that use volunteer dental professionals. Several types of projects (e.g., clinic, referral system, public-private partnership) have emerged and anecdotal evidence about what characteristics make some programs more successful than others has been collected. VIH believes that though volunteerism is not the answer to solving the current dental access crisis, it does increase accessibility of services for the underserved. Given the current lack of dental services in many communities, volunteer-based dental programs should be considered as one method of increasing access until a more universal solution can be found.

Learning Objectives:

• Discuss how using volunteer dental professionals expands access to oral health services for the underserved
• List six types of dental programs which use volunteer dental professionals
• Describe characteristics of successful dental programs which use volunteer dental professionals

Keywords: Access and Services, Oral Health

Related Web page: www.volunteersinhealthcare.org

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: The information to be used in the presentation has been gathered by Volunteers in Health Care - a national resource center established for health care providers looking to organize or expand volunteer-based programs for the uninsured.
I have a significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.
Relationship: contract, consultant