FY 2023 RWHAP Part C Capacity Development Program Ware County Board of Health Infrastructure Development The Ware County Board of Health/Southeast Health District (SEHD) is applying for Ryan White Part C Capacity Development Funding to expand the Southeast Health District’s HIV oral health care services. Funding will be used to purchase dental equipment for the purpose of developing, enhancing, and expanding oral health care services to people living with HIV receiving services at the Wellness Centers. The SEHD is applying for Part C Capacity Development Funding in the amount of $136,081.00 to institute the provision of oral health care services within the Wellness Centers. Services will be provided at the two full time Wellness Centers to eliminate barriers in the oral health care treatment process and optimize health outcomes. Barriers, including stigma and fear will be eliminated with the receipt of Capacity Development funding. The purpose of this proposed activity under infrastructure development is to expand our oral health care capacity to low income, uninsured, and underserved RW Part C clients. The model will address the National HIV/ AIDS Care Continuum. If awarded, Part C Capacity Building funding will provide dental bays in our two full time Wellness Centers enabling patients to receive routine dental services within the Wellness Center. The SEHD Wellness Centers serve several medically underserved populations. The SEHD covers 8,017 square miles, about the size of Massachusetts, and is not served by a major Interstate. I-95 is east of the district along the coast; I-16 runs through the area from Macon to Savannah through Candler, Toombs and Bulloch counties, but offers no access to people living in the other counties. Like many rural areas across America, the SEHD is faced with significant shortages of health professionals which is another barrier to care. All sixteen counties located within the SEHD are designated as Medically
Underserved Areas per the Georgia State Office of Rural Health. All counties are either High Needs Geographic Health Professional Shortage Areas (HPSA) or HPSA Low Income Population. SEHD has become recognized as the primary provider of services for patients with HIV/AIDS in the sixteen-county area. In fact, there is no other provider of HIV services in the 8017-square mile service area and no other Ryan White recipients. The goal of the capacity development funding is to address Infrastructure Development by providing dental services to patients served by the Wellness Centers. The SEHD has utilized telemedicine within the Wellness Center clinics to enhance HIV and primary care services being rendered to underserved and low-income individuals, however, clients are still forced to receive oral health services from outside providers. Clients are often unwilling to be seen by outside providers due to stigma and fear. The SEHD is the largest rural geographic area in the state of Georgia which is a barrier to patient and provider interaction needed for optimal care. Utilizing Wellness Center Dental Bays will improve clients’ access to essential oral health care services that they may not otherwise receive. The program will be sustained through income generated from third party payors billed for dental services provided. Providing dental services within the Wellness Centers will also decrease the costs of contractual dentists which will further contribute to sustainability.