Grants to States to Support Oral Health Workforce Activities

as underserved by the State’s Governor. Eligible applicants include only Governor-designated, State government entities, such as the office of the State’s dental director or a State-run university or dental school.  Applications must define how the State government will be actively involved in the project, including defining the State’s investment of resources to the project and any planned coordination of activities at the State level.  As mandated by statute, States must demonstrate commitment to their projects by providing a 40 percent non-Federal match.  Applicants are encouraged to define how they will leverage State laws, regulations and policies to meet the oral health workforce needs of underserved populations within the State.  Applications for this program must propose innovative oral health care delivery models to address a State’s oral health workforce needs.  Applicants must choose from one or more of the following six Focus Areas: 1.      Integrating oral and primary care medical delivery systems for underserved communities; 2.      Programs to support oral health providers practicing in advanced roles specifically designed to improve oral health access in underserved communities; 3.      Practice support through teledentistry to improve access for underserved communities; 4.      Community-based prevention service programs for underserved populations, such as water fluoridation and dental sealant programs; 5.      Programs to establish or expand oral health services and facilities in Dental HPSAs, such as the establishment or expansion of community-based dental facilities, free-standing dental clinics, school-linked dental facilities, and mobile or portable dental clinics; and 6.      Grants and low-interest or no-interest loans to help dentists who participate in the Medicaid program to enhance capacity, such as through equipment purchases or the sharing of overhead costs to allow for additional hours of operation. Applicants will be required to clearly describe how the proposal is innovative and how the program is expected to improve access and quality of care for underserved populations. To support the proposal to develop and implement an innovative oral health care delivery model, funds may be used for the following: ·         To partner with dental training institutions to ensure providers are prepared to practice and lead in the State’s innovative service delivery models.  Training may be targeted at any level of education, including continuing dental education, and may include establishment or expansion of dental residency programs in States without dental schools, with the primary focus of encouraging trainees to ultimately practice in a Dental HPSA within the State; and/or ·         To expand the State dental office to support the proposed grant activities, including enhancing capacity to develop and analyze data and policy related to oral health access and workforce needs of Dental HPSAs. Because each State’s racial and ethnic composition may vary, applicants will be encouraged to recruit, train, and retain a workforce that is reflective of the diversity of their State such as underrepresented minorities, and/or those from rural or disadvantaged backgrounds.  Applicants should describe the current diversity of the oral health workforce in relation to their State and outline a plan to address diversity in the proposed project.