Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Dental Reimbursement Program - Unreimbursed costs for 7/1/2022 - 6/30/2023; $857,068 The Department of Dentistry at BronxCare Health System (BCHS) is at the cutting edge of Post Graduate Advanced Education. Our three residency training programs consist of sixty residents in total in General Dentistry, Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontics. Additionally, we participate in the training of three Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery residents yearly on a rotational basis, through our affiliation with Woodhull Medical Center. Providing our residents, faculty and staff with the most current information and educational opportunities is a major goal of the department. This enhances the preparedness and knowledge of all staff and affords them the ability to effectively and efficaciously treat and provide comprehensive oral healthcare to our HIV/AIDS patients. The communities in which we are located, South and Central Bronx , New York City, are amongst the poorest Congressional Districts in the United States. These communities are faced with high rates of HIV/AIDS, Diabetes, Heart Disease, Obesity, Asthma, etc. Traditionally access to care has been problematic in these underserved communities. Eliminating Health Disparities and thereby improving the overall health of the population by increasing access to care is the goal. The BCHS acts as "Doctor" to the communities by promoting access to the services that are not readily accessible elsewhere. Our focus is on the promotion of Healthcare Equity so that our patients receive the quality care that they need and deserve. In these multicultural and diverse communities language barriers exist which can limit our ability to effectively communicate with our patients. Providing translation services is critical to overcoming this barrier. These services are readily available at BCHS Department of Dentistry. We work closely with the Center for Comprehensive Care at BCHS, which has a large patient population with HIV/ AIDS, to provide Oral Healthcare through regular dental visits. Our providers collaborate through clinical and didactic interaction to ensure that our patients receive optimum care. Summary of Program Plan 1. Staff education (Residents and Faculty) - Seek experts to lecture and provide current information on HIV/AIDS disease process, oral healthcare and latest research data. - Encourage attendance at continuing education courses and seminars to widen knowledge base on HIV/AIDS. - Instruct all levels of staff on cultural sensitivity when interacting with our patients. 2. Patient education - Oral Healthcare and the impact on the disease processes. Teach importance of maintaining good oral health. - Nutritional counseling - hire a Nutritionist to provide instructions on healthy diets and meal preparation. - Tobacco cessation instructions and referrals as indicated. 3. Increase access to care - Open up additional appointments to increase ease of readily obtaining an appointment. - Use of Telehealth to limit need for in clinic appointment for observational procedures, follow ups, post surgical evaluations. - Use of language bank with extensive translation services to facilitate effective communication. - Hire a Patient Navigator to increase access by ensuring that HIV/AIDS patients who need appointments are connected to care. 4. Collaborative care with patient's Primary Care medical providers to ensure that our patients are managed in a comprehensive manner. In summary, the funding provided through the Ryan White HAP Reimbursement Program allows the Department to continue providing our patients with the highest level of quality care in all areas of Dentistry. It further allows improved access to care and promotion of patient education. Resident training is also enhanced through the educational opportunities that this program supports.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).