 |
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
|
The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Mary Altenberg, MS, CHES, AIPC Dental Support Center, Albuquerque IHS Dental Clinic, P.O. Box 67830, Albuquerque, NM 87193, 505-922-4246, MAltenberg@abq.ihs.gov
While oral disease may be the most preventable health condition affecting the US population, the oral health of the American Indians (AI) in the Albuquerque Area remains poor. Tools and technology exist to prevent and control oral disease, but the outcomes have not reflected these advances. The budget of the Albuquerque IHS Dental Clinic (AIDC) was drastically reduced in 2000. To generate revenue (by billing third party insurers) and focus on the prevention of oral disease in the younger population, the decision was made to restrict services to children aged 0 to 19 years and pregnant women. The Albuquerque Area Dental Support Center (Support Center), a program of the All Indian Pueblo Council, Inc., provides clinical and preventive support to all IHS, Tribal and Urban Dental Clinics in the Albuquerque Area. The AIDC requested the help of the Support Center to design and implement a project to improve the visibility and consequent accessibility of the AIDC for the parents and caregivers of AI children. Partnerships with the Indian Education Programs of public school systems in the metropolitan area were developed with the end result being access to mailing labels of all AI children registered in these schools. Postcards are periodically mailed to encourage utilization of the clinic. Results of the project have been encouraging. The collaboration between tribal organizations, IHS dental clinic, and public schools resulted in positive outcomes for the AI children in the Albuquerque area. The effort will continue to promote oral health among American Indian children.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the poster session, the participant will be able to
Keywords: Communication, American Indians
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.