My Healthy Smile NY is a pilot program created by the New York State Dental Foundation and its partners to bring the Community Dental Health Coordinator (CDHC) model to scale in New York State over the next four years.
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We believe a viable solution for addressing oral health challenges in New York is the deployment of Community Health Dental Coordinators in strategic regions across the state who can leverage the power of a support network and modern technology to connect individuals to care.
A CDHC acts as a bridge between the community and clinical care with a working knowledge of dental disease processes, the dental delivery system and disease prevention strategies. The CDHC is a Registered Dental Assistant or Registered Dental Hygienist with additional training in care coordination and motivational interviewing. In addition to engaging in community-based outreach to promote oral health and disease prevention, they can interact directly with populations who are at risk for dental disease and are unsure of how to access dental care or community services. This team of CDHCs will also be actively engaged in promoting the dental professions in their regions, whether delivering oral health education to troops of young Girl Scouts, or visiting high school career fairs, introducing educational pathways to the dental professions will plant seeds to inspire diverse groups of young people not only to take good care of their teeth, but also to consider a career in oral health. Armed with the latest telehealth technology and a unique smartphone application, our CDHCs will become an essential part of the patient navigation and community education system, poised to gather crucial data that can help inform policy and decisions that impact the health of all New Yorkers. LATEST UPDATES
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