Please send interest or inquiries to atpdhc@gmail.com.

Mission Statement:

Mission Statement for Special Project: Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition

To provide high quality, affordable, accessible, preventative dental education and treatment services to residents, with emphasis on the underserved, living in the Aspen to Parachute region.

Brief summary of agency’s history.

In the Spring of 2008, Community Health Services, Inc, (CHI) came to the Board of Health (BOH) to review the results of the Pitkin County Community Health Assessment. During the review process, access to dental health care was identified, as a long-standing, unmet community need. Based on feedback from the BOH, CHS began to form a group of stakeholders interested in working on this growing problem. Out of these efforts, a three County, multi-agency, coalition, including private citizens, local dentists and others, formed for the purpose of creating a comprehensive safety net dental system for the underserved. The Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition (Coalition) is focused on building a comprehensive system that would provide preventative dental health education and treatment services for the indigent and underinsured living in the Aspen to Parachute region.

Community partnerships and collaborations.

The Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition is comprised of representatives from Family Visitor Programs, Head Start, Mountain Family Health Center, Community Health Services, Inc., Garfield & Eagle County Public Health, Comfort Dental, All Kids Dental, Private Dental Offices/Providers, Pitkin & Garfield County Human Services, Pitkin & Garfield County Schools, Aspen Community Foundation, Church Representatives, The Given Institute, Garfield County Senior Program, Advocates Safehouse, Aspen Valley Medical Foundation, Northwest Colorado Options for Long Term Care, Children’s Health Foundation, Catholic Charities, and private citizens.

Project Description—who, what, where, when, and how.

The Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition is actively working to develop a model for providing preventative dental health prevention education and treatment. The ultimate goal of these efforts would be to house an indigent dental clinic in a central location within the region. The coalition is already actively providing preventative dental education through in-kind contributions and grant funding solicited by our coalition members. These activities include becoming members of the statewide Be A Smart Mouth Coalition, providing access to free trainings and supplies. As a result of this effort, over 30 local human service employees were trained on how to apply fluoride varnish to children’s teeth. The staff (from a variety of local organizations) have developed their own fluoride varnish clinics and have served hundreds of local children.

As a coalition we received funding to implement the Cavity Free at Three program, with a goal of educating parents, children, medical and dental providers about working together. This program strongly emphasizes prevention, medical and dental provider collaboration and an ultimate goal of having every child in our valley ‘cavity free by age three.’ At a recent training 44 providers were taught how to do dental exams and apply varnishes to the teeth of children 6 months to three years. In addition they were trained to counsel pregnant women and the mothers of very young children.

Finally, Garfield County Public Health has secured funding to place a registered dental hygienist in several schools (with high numbers of children on the free and reduced lunch program). This program, with (fully funded through 2009), provides children with professional dental cleanings, fluoride varnishes, and dental sealants.

Though these efforts are valiant and will continue to remain a coalition priority, we are still unable to address the need for dental treatment that is identified when we work with these children and their families. Without a low-cost option for treating existing dental concerns, many of the problems we identify grow more severe. Funding from the Healthy Community Fund would enable the coalition to hire a person to help develop a strategic plan, formalize a business plan for the development of an indigent dental home, work to develop necessary revenue streams, and continue to build community and partner momentum.

This position would most likely be filled by a contractual position (with an option to hire on to a permanent position), for this first year in our planning process. The person would need to have significant experience in starting up non-profit organizations; experience working in the indigent dental health field would also be a significant advantage. It is anticipated that this position will provide the structure the coalition needs in order to take the next important step towards opening up a physical clinic.

The Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition is requesting $55,000 to hire a ‘Coordinator of Dental Access’ position. This position will be advertised in the local papers and or put out to bid, $52,000 will be the maximum salary paid.. We are anticipating an additional $3,000 in accounting expenses, travel, supplies, and other related expenditures.

Reasons for financial support needs:

Funding from the Healthy Community Fund would enable the Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition to take the first step, hiring a qualified expert to develop a strategic plan that would begin the process of building an indigent dental home. Funding allocated to this Coalition would be used to the fullest, yielding a direct result, with impacts that could change lives throughout our region. The Coalition has been in existence for slightly more than one year. In that time we have made remarkable progress and impacted hundreds of families, providing them with dental education, fluoride varnishes, and professional cleanings. We have a very dedicated group of members who continue to ‘in-kind’ hours of their time, talent, and resources to see this initiative progress. Through this persistence we will continue to seek additional funding, as this project will require numerous and diverse funding streams and diverse community partnerships.

In early 2008 the Coalition applied and was rejected for the initial Cavity Free at Three grant. The rejection became a catalyst- firming resolve to move forward with the effort. The group found external funding, achieving the same excellent prevention work through other sources. This persistence has been recognized by the State (Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Oral Health Program) and by numerous local and State foundations that are lending not only financial support, but also best practice advice and guidance. .

Needs Assessment:

In Garfield County there are over 18,200 people under 250% of the federal poverty level (FPL). In Pitkin County there are over 3,480 people under 250% of FPL. For perspective, according to the 2009 Health and Human Services poverty guidelines, a family of four would need to make less than $55,125 per year to fall under 250% of FPL. According to health needs indicators from the Colorado Health Institute, 22.6% of Pitkin County’s total population under age 65 is estimated to be uninsured. The numbers in Garfield County (23%) are similar. In Pitkin, only 13.3% of the Medicaid enrolled children had a dental visit in 2007. In Garfield County, 22% of these children had a dental visit. Many children are unable to access dental services due to the limited number of providers accepting Medicaid and CHP+. Presently there are only two dental providers in the Aspen to Parachute region accepting these forms of insurance.

The cost of dental care was the top “unmet quality of life need” identified in the 2006 Pitkin County Community Health Assessment. Lack of dental insurance coverage was also identified among the top eight issues.

If the Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition were to be able to open up an indigent dental clinic, the dentist to patient ratio would be approximately 1:1200. 1.6 FTE dentists could care for nearly 2,000 patients each year. Dental Aid, a Boulder-based indigent dental clinic, estimated that we have close to 13,660 residents under 250% of poverty living in the Roaring Fork Valley. Knowing that around 15% of the population under 250% of the FPL has no form of insurance, we anticipate the need for this clinic to be high.

Performance Information

1. Service Delivery Goal:

The Aspen to Parachute Indigent Dental Coalition will hire a Coordinator of Dental Access to develop a formal strategic plan for the Coalition to move forward with the development of an indigent dental clinic by December 2010 as measured by the ability to develop an organizational structure, and to secure support and initial revenue streams.

·Program/Project Objective: 1

By March 31, 2010 have advertised, interviewed, and selected a qualified, experienced, candidate for the Coordinator of Dental Access position.

·Program/Project Objective: 2

By June 20, 2010 have the Coordinator fully engaged in the community, attending local meetings, developing a formal advisory board, and building partnerships and community momentum around the issue of indigent dental care needs.

·Program/Project Objective: 3

By December 2010 have the Coordinator develop a formal strategic plan for the organization, including a business plan, operational structure, and initial revenue streams.

Description of the benefit(s) of this program to the people in the community who are not directly involved in your program or services (Community Outcomes).

Dental care for the underserved, low-income population has been a problem that has been discussed in the region for the past 20 years. Different task forces have come and gone (because of a lack of funding, Different solutions, such as the dental van have proved to be costly and cumbersome to manage. The current solutions involve a huge amount of time expenditure to creating a patch work of small amounts of funding from organizations (Friends of Man, Aspen Community Foundation, Aspen Valley Medical Foundation & Friends of Man) in order to pull together enough $$ to pull a tooth or fill a cavity.

Dental health is directly tied to medical health. Numerous diseases are directly correlated to poor dental hygiene. The coalition has decided to focus on the dental needs of all residents from young child ren through seniors. If the Coalition can take these 1^st steps to opening a clinic the health of the region’s residents can be improved.