Preventing Dental Caries in Dona Ana County: Providing Oral Health Care Screenings, Dental Varnishes and Promotora Outreach to Young Children and Pregnant Women
Grant Status: Completed
Training Category: Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP)
Project Director(s):
Virgil Medina
CEO
La Clinica de Familia
Las Cruces, NM 88005
Email: smdg@lcdfnm.org
Problem:
La Clinica de Familia will establish oral health screenings and the provision of dental varnishes to infants, young children and pregnant women in seven (7) medical clinic sites, expanding medical home services to a primarily low-income, Hispanic population.
Goals and Objectives:
Goal 1 - Provide Oral Health Screenings As Part of Routine Well Child and Prenatal Visits. Goal 1 Objectives: By the end of the first 9 months, care protocols will be developed and primary care staff will be trained on how to provide oral health screenings. By the end of the first 9 months, a pilot in the First Step Center Women's and Pediatric Services clinic will be launched, providing oral health screenings as a routine part of well-child and prenatal visits. By the beginning of Year Two and continued as a standard of practice, all 7 primary clinics will provide oral health screenings as a routine part of well-child and prenatal visits. Goal 2- Provide Dental Varnishes as Part of Routine Well Child and Prenatal Visits. Goal 2 Objectives: By the end of the first 9 months, care protocols will be developed and primary care staff will be trained on dental varnish application. By the end of the first 9 months, a pilot in the First Step Center Women's and Pediatric Services clinic will be launched, providing oral health screenings as a routine part of well-child and prenatal visits, as well as dental varnish application using protocol and guidelines for time of treatment. By the beginning of Year Two and continued as a standard of practice, all 7 primary clinics will provide oral health screenings as a routine part of well-child and prenatal visits, as well as dental varnish application using protocol and guidelines for time of treatment. Goal 3- Utilize Promotoras to Engage Families to Increase Oral Health Care Awareness and Education. Goal 3 Objectives: By the end of the first 9 months, the promotora coordinator will develop culturally and linguistically appropriate outreach materials in regard to oral health care and dental caries prevention. By the end of the first 9 months, 12 promotoras and the promotora coordinator will be trained on oral health care best practices and oral health services available through this project. Starting at or before the 9th month of the grant and continuing as a standard for outreach until the end of the grant cycle, promotoras will strategically provide outreach about oral health care best practices and available oral health services to in-clinic patients, Early Head Start families, Healthy Start program participants and relevant community events and meetings.
Methodology:
La Clinica utilizes 12 Community Healthcare Workers known as Promotoras, who will provide key community outreach and in-clinic education about the importance of oral health care and available care opportunities, aimed at the targeted populations of children 6 months - 3 years old and pregnant women. This new service fills a gap in a vulnerable population's medical home services and assists in the prevention of dental caries.
Coordination:
Partners include NM State Title V Program, the NM Pediatric Society, NM Primary Care Association, Early Head Start, and Dona Ana County Department of Health and Human Services.
Evaluation:
Outcomes that will be measured throughout the grant period and reported on in case studies and final reporting include: 1) The number of pregnant women and children ages 6 months - 3 years provided with an oral health screening during their primary care prenatal or well-child visit; 2) The number of varnishes applied to the targeted population; and 3) The number of promotora encounters with the target population to increase education and outreach about oral health care practices.