By QUINTON SMITH/YachatsNews.com
Rachel Gazeley and Rhonda Thompson want to help your teeth.
And in doing so, they might be able to get you connected to better sources of food, nutrition and food preparation, and provide information on low-income housing in Lincoln County.
They are part of a $100,000 year-long pilot program focusing on Yachats, Waldport and Newport to use “Dental Days” at five low-income housing projects to improve oral health of the county’s most vulnerable residents.
But the goal is to also use the weekly sessions to link people to local food supply programs, offer nutrition and cooking instruction by experts, and connect with the Lincoln County Housing Authority.
Gazeley and Thompson work for Advantage Dental, a Redmond-based dental care provider for people enrolled in the Oregon Health Plan. In Lincoln County, its clients stretch from Yachats to Newport; other providers mostly handle the rest of the county.
Advantage started a small dental outreach program last March in Yachats and Waldport. In late 2019 it won a $100,000 state grant to expand the program and in January started more formal sessions in Yachats and Waldport. It added three sites in Newport in February.
“In rural areas we hear a lot of about access, whether its transportation, finding a provider or getting an appointment,” said Molly Johnson, director of Medicaid services for Advantage. “Our goal with this pilot program is to create additional points of care in the community.”
Program expands from Yachats and Waldport
The second Tuesday of every month Gazeley and Thompson haul their supplies into community rooms at the Fististerra Garden apartments in Yachats. The first Monday of the month they are at Vandehaven apartments in downtown Waldport.
While focused on low-income residents of the three communities, the “Dental Days” are open to anyone needing a screening by a dental hygienist.
Gazeley will do basic preventative services like examining teeth and gums, applying fluoride, sealants and give basic oral hygiene instruction.
“Hopefully I’m a little less scary than a dentist,” Grazeley says.
Grazeley is waiting on equipment, expected to arrive in March, to do cleanings. A mobile X-ray machine is also expected soon that will allow Gazeley and Thompson to take dental x-rays and transmit those to a dentist elsewhere who can look at any issues and recommend treatment. For the first six months that service is for Advantage’s clients and others on the Oregon Health Authority’s dental plan.
Thompson will help set up appointments with dentists at Advantage’s office in Newport or with providers elsewhere.
There are no dentists, or visiting dentists in Yachats. Waldport has one dentist, but the Oregon Health Plan does not contract with him, only larger dental groups.
“We’re really just trying to provide care,” Grazeley said. “There’s limited providers in the area, so we’re just providing another point of contact.”
Why its needed in Lincoln County
In its grant application, Advantage said that poverty is “strongly linked to poor health … including oral health outcomes.”
In Lincoln County, it said, 20 percent of the population lives below the federal poverty line compared to 13 percent statewide. It also cited statistics showing Lincoln County eighth- and 11th-grade students had higher cavity rates than the Oregon average and that 122 people visited Lincoln County hospital emergency rooms in 2018 for non-traumatic dental pain, racking up more than $80,000 in bills.
The application also said the county has an overall shortage of health care providers, including dentists “which are further compounded by the geographic distribution of providers,” it said.
Johnson said Advantage’s “Dental Days” is focusing on adults for the time being because there are already school-based dental programs in Lincoln County.
If the Lincoln County program works well, Johnson said Advantage hopes to expand the practice to its coverage areas of Benton and Linn counties as well.
“We’re really just trying to learn from this pilot program,” she said.
Advantage has been working to get the word out on the programs, alerting residents of the Housing Authority’s apartments, contacting current clients and putting out signs during their 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. visits. It hopes to do more, especially through its “Dental Days” partners soon.
“We want to get people engaged and let them know they have this service available,” Johnson said. “We just want to provide care in a more comfortable, convenient setting. It’s really a mini-health fair with a focus on dental.”
What an awesome service. So important to all over health.