Hot Topics: New and Emerging Initiatives

Peter van Dyck: The second hot topic will be discussed by Mark Dehring. Sorry, Mark. And Mark’s going to talk about the 2004 Five *Somalian SPRANS Grants for oral health. Mark Dehring is the dental health/oral health lead for the Bureau.

Mark Dehring: Thank you. Let me first begin with a few brief comments for background, and as you heard Deborah Dietrich a few moments ago mention the 2003 appropriation this past fiscal year for a new SPRANS fund set-aside for the purpose of assisting state oral health programs. The funds this past fiscal year provided the opportunity for states to apply for a single year of funding through what we call the State Oral Health Collaborative Systems Grants. Over recent years, states have expressed the need for linking oral health activity within in existing systems of care, and maintaining state oral health programs. Thus giving actually a purpose for the collaborative systems grants.

Forty-seven states applied. We’re approved and funded, and we found that approximately two-thirds of the states that received this funding focused their application on infrastructure; infrastructure designed to initiate or maintain an oral health program working toward collaboration among state, public, and private sectors. The other third of states had more of a focus on systems integration, an integration of systems of care to enhance access to services for the MCH population. For the current fiscal year, it appears that a SPRANS set-aside will again be appropriated. Having a state oral health program focus again. I’m pleased, and thank you Dr. van Dyck for letting me announce this at this time with this group of people about these developments because it’s very timely. It’s a timely opportunity to request from the MCH state programs your thoughts, comments, or recommendations that you can offer regarding this additional year of a funding opportunity that’s likely to be available. Particularly pleased to announce this again to an MCH community that within an MCH community, many states choose to use the Block Grant Program to fund the oral health programs or at least some component of the total activity. And it appears that those states connected with MCH programs experience a greater degree of stability during especially lean fiscal times as we’re going through right now. So with that I look forward to any comments or any input that you can provide and my contact information should be in the program list of attendees and thank you. Let me give you my phone number: 301-443-3449.

Peter van Dyck: And you did turn out to be a hot topic.

Mark Dehring: And well why stop there. I’ll give you my email address, too. It’s mnehring spelled mnehring@hrsa.gov. Thank you.

Peter van Dyck: Are there any questions for Mark about this oral health appropriation that going to states or the thing that’s coming up this year? Okay. Thanks Mark.