Detroit: Research suggests that hormonal changes in expectant women place them at increased risk of gum disease -- which could lead to premature or low birth weight babies and increase the chance of toxemia in expectant mothers.
To address the health of expectant mothers and newborns, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Michigan is working with its participating obstetricians/ gynecologists, family practice physicians and nurse midwife practitioners -- plus its participating and network dentists -- in a new campaign that focuses on the significance of oral health exams for pregnant women.
For more company information, visit http://www.bcbsm.com.
SHARONVILLE - When managed care for dental services seemed predictable in the early 1980s, a group of area dentists decided that the top defense against unwanted plans was a vigorous offense.
In 1986, they formed a practitioner-owned plan, Dental Care Plus Group. The organization has grown to become one of the biggest dental care networks in Southwest Ohio, Southeast Indiana and Northern Kentucky.
The numbers disclose Dental Care Plus's success: Approximately 700 dentists signed on as owners of the association when it was launched. Now, close to 2,000 are affiliated with it, as are about 1,200 participating employers and a membership of about 200,000. Projected revenues for 2006 are $49.738 million, up almost 40 percent from those of 2003.
When the Community Free Clinic of Decatur-Morgan County opened in 2004, its services were for medical wants of individuals who might not afford health care.
Now, its services comprise dental care as well.
If that's not enough, Trudy Grisham told the Morgan County Commission that the next step is to insert optical care.
Grisham, a member of the clinic's board of directors, and Debbie Griffin, director of the clinic, met with the commission Wednesday to appeal a $30,000 appropriation for the 2006-07 fiscal years.
The commission gave the clinic $25,000 for the current fiscal year.
Sealants for Kentucky's Children" would combat the most common chronic childhood disease in Kentucky -- tooth decay -- during the Kentucky State Fair. The plan would provide free dental screenings, sealants, varnish, tools and education throughout the fair from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday to Aug. 27. The booth is situated in the Health Horizons section of South Wing B.
Call Melissa Nathanson with the KDA at 1-800-292-1855 or (502) 489-9121.
Complete results from the event and a listing of upcoming events are available at www.ukcdogs.com or call (269) 343-9020.
Results of the state's dental HMO experiment for children on Medicaid are in, but they don't show if the fresh approach is enhanced than the old. That's unacceptable. The project was to perk up access to dental care for 200,000 Miami-Dade children on Medicaid, dipping fraud and state costs in the process. The idea was to switch them to HMO coverage in 2004 and away from standard fee-for-service Medicaid.
Now, a University of Florida study reports worrying results for the pilot's first year, which ended in June 2005. It establishes the number of poor children seeing a dentist dropped 40 percent. Only 27,000 children got dental care, a drop of 35,500 from the previous year under the old program. Also, children received only $2.1 million in dental services as the state paid $15.3 million to Atlantic Dental, the HMO running the pilot.
Just a few weeks from now Grand Island would hold one of the biggest volunteer efforts the city has ever seen. More than 1,000 people are predictable to help out with The Nebraska Mission of Mercy, an event designed to give free dental care for those in those in need.
Even though preparations are well happening, organizers are still looking to the society for more help.
At the state's first ever Mission of Mercy last year in North Platte, about 1000 patients customary free dental care.
"It is a huge undertaking. It is like setting up a little village for a couple of days or a big camp I guess," said event manager Teresa Anderson.
This year's Mission of Mercy would be September 22nd and 23rd at GI's Heartland Events Center, where they are expecting to see twice as many patients as last year.
A team of doctors, medical and civil affairs professionals, from the Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa lately completed a two-week medical civic action plan here that visited four villages and treated more than 3,300 patients.
The team worked with local medical officials and non-governmental agencies, providing over $44,000 value of medications and treatments to the residents of Mpeketoni, Faza, Bargoni, Mokowe and their surrounding communities. All medication was purchased close by and surplus medications were dispersed among the clinics that participated.
The MEDCAP has "helped us a lot," said Ahmed Kassim, public health officer, who works at the Faza clinic. Kassim worked with the CA team to systematize the MEDCAP on the island of Pate and helped get the word out to the residents through word of mouth and through the local mosques.
The number of low-income Miami-Dade County children who conventional dental care funded by Medicaid dropped 40% in the first year of a pilot project enacted by Florida Gov. Jeb Bush (R), according to a University of Florida Institute for Child Health Policy study, the Miami Herald reports. The pilot plan was part of Bush's 2004 "campaign to have ever-soaring Medicaid costs by turning to the private sector to run care," the Herald reports. The program also aimed to get better access to dental care for about 200,000 children and reduce fraud. For the plan, the state contracted with Atlantic Dental to offer dental coverage through an HMO. Dentists are paid about $4.25 per month per child for all essential treatment. The Institute for Child Health Policy was hired to study the program's effectiveness. According to the report that covers a 365-day period that ended June 30, 2005, 22% of eligible children visited the dentist, compared with 37% under the old fee-for-service plan, More than 57,000 children visited a dentist during the last year of fee-for-service, contrast with 27,000 who visited under the HMO program, the report finds. The report also finds that the number of participating dentists refuse from 669 to 251. Forty-six percent of participating dentists who react to the review said they were "very dissatisfied" with the program, and 11% said they were "dissatisfied."
An East Carolina University physician has earned a statewide honor for his hard work to deliver health care to underserved populations and a plan to help children manage their asthma.
Dr. Thomas G. Irons, ECU associate vice chancellor for regional health services and a professor of pediatrics at the Brody School of Medicine at ECU, has been named a North Carolina Champion of Change in Medicine, along with Pitt County Memorial Hospital's pediatric asthma management program.
Another project championed by Irons is the 15,000-square-foot, $2.8 million James D. Bernstein Community Health Center under construction along N.C. 33 West. Irons estimates 20,000 people annually would receive primary care, dental care and pharmacy services from full-time staff and volunteers.
Results of the state's dental HMO experiment for children on Medicaid are in, but they don't explain if the new loom is better than the old. That's unacceptable. The plan was to get better access to dental care for 200,000 Miami-Dade children on Medicaid, dipping fraud and state costs in the process. The idea was to switch them to HMO coverage in 2004 and away from normal fee-for-service Medicaid.
Now, a University of Florida study reports worrying results for the pilot's first year, which ended in June 2005. It found the number of deprived children seeing a dentist dropped 40 percent. Only 27,000 children got dental care, a drop of 35,500 from the prior year under the old program. Also, children received only $2.1 million in dental services while the state paid $15.3 million to Atlantic Dental, the HMO running the pilot.
The number of poor kids getting dental care plunged 40 percent in the first year of a Medicaid pilot project in Miami-Dade, according to a study released this month by the University of Florida.
The program was planned to get better about 200,000 children's access to dental care, reduce scam and contain costs by moving them from standard fee-for-service to a health protection organization. The HMO is run by a Coral Gables firm, Atlantic Dental, and dentists are paid about $4.25 a month per child for all basic treatment.
But in its first year, only 22 percent of qualified Medicaid kids made a trip to the dentist, the report said, compared to 37 percent under the old fee-for-service program. The report also found fewer dentists took part in the new program; their disappointment was high and the services they provided appeared to be worth less than what the state paid them.
Residents of the Topisaw Creek community could now start their dental care custom at the tap.
With the Topisaw Creek Water Association's May execution of a water fluoridation plan, citizens drink to their health every time they fill a glass.
Janet Kirtfield, the association's general manager, said the program's aim is to avert tooth decay, particularly in young children. Fluoride makes teeth stronger and anti to bacteria growth and is a defense against cavities.
An $18,700 grant, which covered the cost of equipment and its fitting, a year's supply of chemicals and the oversight of the plan by an engineer, funded the project, she said
The number of poor kids getting dental care plunged 40 percent in the first year of a Medicaid pilot project in Miami-Dade, according to a revise released this month by the University of Florida.
The plan was intended to perk up about 200,000 children's access to dental care, cut fraud and contain costs by moving them from standard fee-for-service to a health maintenance organization. The HMO is run by a Coral Gables firm, Atlantic Dental, and dentists are paid about $4.25 a month per child for all essential treatment.
But in its first year, only 22 percent of entitled Medicaid kids made a trip to the dentist, the report said, compared to 37 percent under the old fee-for-service plan. The report also found fewer dentists took part in the new plan; their disappointment was high and the services they provided appeared to be merit less than what the state paid them.
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