OUR PURPOSE

Our Workgroup is focused on improving access to dental care in Curry County. We know that "a third of the adult population in Curry County indicate that they have poor oral health, which is twice that of the State percentage, and youth in Curry County are less likely to have seen a dentist or dental hygienist for a check-up in the last 12 months than youth statewide". (Community Health Assessment Data).  

 

WHO WE ARE

Our Workgroup is made up of some people in the Oral Health field, but also community members as well as members from the Federally Qualified Health Centers.

 

ACTIVITIES 

We want to support increasing access to dental services, whether that be in Brookings, or as far north as Langlois! Currently, we are working with many partners, such as Coast Community Health, the Oregon Health Authority, AllCare CCO, and Advantage Dental to support bringing dental services to Port Orford, where there hasn't been a dentist in over 12 years. Advantage Dental will have a hygienist in the clinic, and hopefully soon we will have a dentist there! The hygienist will see all people - regardless of ability to pay - and in cooperation with Coast Community Health will have a voucher program.

We are also looking at ways to increase dental access in different settings, and maybe bringing in a hygienist to a physical health clinic in lower Curry County as well as a new workforce model of oral health provider called a Dental Therapist!

 

Such exciting things going on in the oral health world- ultimately, we want to get the word out there, that 'oral health is such an important part of overall health'!

 

We welcome new members

Please join us!