Postdoctoral Training in General, Pediatric and Public Health Dentistry and Dental Hygiene - Brief description of project: For almost 150 years, Maricopa County Special Health Care District dba Valleywise Health (VH) has been Arizona’s only safety-net healthcare system serving predominantly low-income and medically underserved populations. VH is the only public teaching hospital in the state, with over 330 residents across 14 accredited programs, from family medicine to psychiatry. VH operates five dental clinics within our Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) network that provide preventive, restorative, and surgical dental procedures to adults and children, with a focus on integrating oral health into overall primary care. Our newly accredited Valleywise Health Dental Residency Program is a one-year Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency that trains dentists to provide comprehensive oral health services to uninsured, underinsured, and medically underserved patients in a community-based setting. The program received initial accreditation from the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) in August 2024. Needs addressed: The VH Dental Residency Program increases our capacity to provide comprehensive dental care to underserved populations who rely on safety-net health settings. The integration of oral health with overall patient care enhances patient outcomes and experiences, as residents work in an interdisciplinary environment to address connected medical and social needs. Critically, the VH Dental Residency Program addresses workforce shortages by providing advanced training for new dentists in a community-based setting, ultimately improving long-term access to care in underserved areas. VH is in a Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA) and serves a Medically Underserved Community. Population served: The VH Dental Department completes over 24,000 patient visits annually. As a safety-net provider, 75% of all VH ambulatory patients are racially and ethnically diverse, over 40% of patients are best served in a language other than English, and nearly 80% are underinsured, uninsured, or receive benefits through Medicaid. VH patients are adversely impacted by social drivers of health, including those that affect economic stability, education, food, housing, transportation, and safety. Proposed services: VH will begin enrolling full-time residents into the AEGD program in AY 2025-2026. The program will accommodate three resident positions per year. The entire training program for a VH resident occurs at federally qualified, community-based, ambulatory patient care centers. Resident rotations will be completed at three VH Dental Clinics located at our Comprehensive Health Centers in Phoenix and Peoria, and our McDowell Community Health Center, which primarily serves patients with HIV/AIDS. The program will prepare residents to: 1) provide multidisciplinary oral health care for underserved populations and individuals with complex health needs; 2) practice in underserved areas and community-based organizations post-residency; 3) function effectively in multiple healthcare environments with interdisciplinary and integrated healthcare teams; 4) utilize the values of professional ethics, lifelong learning, patient-centered care, adaptability, and acceptance of cultural diversity in professional practice; and 5) understand the oral health needs of communities and engage in community service. VH is requesting funding priority #1, #4, #5, #6, and #8. Our Dental Residency webpage address is https://valleywisehealth.org/teaching/academic-programs/graduate-medical-education/dental-residency/.
