Help Local Dental Pilots to Keep California’s Kids Smiling
The Dental Transformation Initiative (DTI), part of the Medi-Cal 2020 1115 Waiver, aims to improve dental health for Medi-Cal children by increasing the use of preventive dental services, preventing and treating more early childhood caries, and increasing continuity of care for children. There is a total of four domains within the DTI, each one focusing on a different aspect of preventive dental care for children.
What are the Local Dental Pilot Projects?
The Local Dental Pilot Projects, or LDPPs, fall under Domain 4 of the DTI. There are 13 Local Dental Pilot Projects (LDPP) throughout the state that are testing innovative strategies to connect Medi-Cal children ages 0 to 20 to dental care, establish dental homes, and provide culturally and linguistically appropriate oral health education.
Through their efforts, LDPPs have been able and continue to accomplish the following:
- Increase access to dental care by providing robust, locally driven care coordination services led by trusted community partners.
- Bring dental care to community settings including schools, WIC sites, and medical offices.
- Increase the number of dental providers willing to provide services to Medi-Cal children.
- Improve community oral health literacy and local capacity through strong community partnerships.
- Decrease the number of dental appointment no-shows.
What is the Future of the LDPPs?
The DTI was scheduled to end in December of 2020, however, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, DHCS is submitting a proposal to extend the Medi-Cal 2020 1115 Waiver by one year. In their proposal, DHCS has opted to include Domains 1-3 of the DTI, but not Domain 4 (the LDPPs). You can find the proposal here: Medi-Cal 2020 Waiver one-year extension proposal.
Given the amount of supports the LDPPs provide to children most impacted by the pandemic, the amount of implementation time lost due to contracting delays, and the impact of COVID-19 on many LDPP activities, including LDDPs in the one-year extension request is imperative. An additional year will allow the LDPPs to:
- Continue to test strategies and demonstrate their impact.
- Continue to be a trusted community resource and provide much needed support within communities that are hard hit by the pandemic.
- Ensure sustainability of the innovative strategies after funding ends.
What Can You Do?
Actively Participate in Public Hearings
DHCS will host two public hearings via webinar to solicit public comments. You must register to attend:
- August 7, 2020, 3:30 p.m. – 5 p.m. – First Public Hearing
- August 10, 2020, 2 p.m. – 3:30 p.m. – Second Public Hearing
Submit Written Comments
You can sign a letter being submitted by the state’s oral health network, CA-OPEN by clicking HERE.
You can also submit your own written comments by emailing 1115waiver@dhcs.ca.gov. Written comments must be submitted by August 21. Here is a template letter and example talking points.
Contact your Elected Officials
We encourage stakeholders to contact their local and state elected officials to let them know your community needs the continued support provided by the LDPPs.
Find your elected state official and educate them on how the project has affected you, your family, and/or your community.
Participate in our Twitterstorm Hosted by Children Now
To amplify the important work of the LDPPs we invite you to join a Twitterstorm hosted by @Health_CN. A Twitterstorm is a dedicated time and place to have a conversation to raise awareness and support in an effective, yet rapid way. Utilizing the hashtag #KeepCASmiling we want to hear your stories and showcase the successes of the LDPPs!
- When: Wednesday, August 12, 2020
- Twitterstorm Conversation: 11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- Hosted By: @Health_CN
Remember to use #KeepCASmiling to join the conversation!
Resources
Using Twitter
Twitterstorm Invitations
Audience & Conversation Starters
Below are talking points to help you highlight the successes of Local Dental Pilot Projects on Twitter and to also help you start a conversation. Remember to use the hashtag #KeepCASmiling in all of your posts!
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