WASHINGTON, D.C.—Senator Susan Collins is pleased to announce that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources and Services Administration has awarded the Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Maine Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a grant in the amount of $109,622 to help improve access to oral health care by strengthening the dental workforce in Maine’s rural and underserved communities.
“Dental care is an integral part of overall health care, and this funding will help improve the health of individuals in areas of Maine that are currently underserved,” said Senator Collins. “In Maine, there is one general practice dentist for every 2,300 people in the Portland area. The numbers drop off dramatically, however, in other parts of our state. In Aroostook County, for example, there is only one dentist for every 5,500 people. And, of the 23 practicing dentists in Aroostook County, only six are taking on any new patients. Moreover, at a time when tooth decay is the most prevalent childhood disease in America, Maine has fewer than ten specialists in pediatric dentistry, and most of these are located in the southern part of the state.”
Senator Collins, along with Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI), wrote the Collins-Feingold Dental Health Improvement Act, which became law in 2002 and authorizes funds to help States develop innovative dental workforce development programs tailored to their individual needs. Senator Collins was able to successfully secure $2 million in the FY2006 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill to fund the grant program.
This funding will help the Maine Center for Disease Control’s Oral Health Program and its Office of Rural Health and Primary Care implement the Maine Oral Health Workforce Initiatives Project. The project is aimed at strengthening current and develop new recruitment and retention activities; developing training initiatives designed to increase the effectiveness of practicing dental professionals; and implementing a dental careers curriculum in high schools to encourage Maine youth to pursue dental health careers.
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