Friday, April 4, 2025
4/4/2025
Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program - Project Abstract for Advocates for a Healthy Community, Inc. dba Jordan Valley Community Health Center Project Title: Teaching Health Center Planning and Development Program for Pediatric Dental Residency Project Director: K. Brooks Miller Jr., CEO Phone: 417-851-1551 Email: BMiller@JordanValley.org Residency Type: Pediatric Dental Residency Funding Preference Statement: Jordan Valley has a MOA (Attachment 5) with the Southwest Missouri Area Health Education Center (AHEC). Population Target Areas: Springfield, Missouri, and Surrounding Area Funding Amount Requested: $500,000 Projected Number of Residents: Expected CODA Matriculation Date: July 1, 2025 Jordan Valley Community Health Center (JVCHC) seeks to improve community health by providing high-quality and accessible medical, dental, and behavioral health services to Springfield, Missouri, and the surrounding areas. Jordan Valley, a federally qualified health center (FQHC) formed in 2002, serves primarily low-income and medically under-served populations. In 2022, Jordan Valley saw 66,914 unique Southwest Missouri patients from 184 zip codes, including patients from Barry, Benton, Camden, Cedar, Christian, Dade, Dallas, Douglas, Greene, Hickory, Howell, Jasper, Laclede, Lawrence, Newton, Ozark, Polk, Pulaski, Stone, Taney, Texas, Vernon, and Wright counties. According to the Census, 1 in 10 people in the United States do not have health insurance coverage. Jordan Valley strives to remove barriers to accessing quality care for all community members. More providers are needed to treat, educate, and guide patients through chronic disease management, infection treatment, and prevention and further coordinate care across the integrated care model. The need for integrated care is experienced most profoundly by patients living in poverty, experiencing barriers to care, or struggling with community red flag issues such as substance use disorder. One of Jordan Valley’s most immediate needs is additional dental providers, specifically those specializing in pediatric care. According to the Kaiser Family Foundation, Missouri is classified as a Dental Care Health Professional Shortage Area (HPSA), needing an additional 386 practitioners to remove that designation. Jordan Valley’s service area and patient population have grown; in 2021, Jordan Valley saw 69,848 dental visits for 33,192 unique patients, clearly demonstrating the need for additional providers. Jordan Valley currently employs 27.46 FTE dental providers; however, only two are pediatric. The shortage of providers places an unsustainable burden on current providers and limits access to oral healthcare. To establish a successful pediatric residency program, Jordan Valley has a letter of support from CoxHealth, to fulfill the hospital and inpatient requirements of the CODA standards. To establish the pediatric residency program, Jordan Valley will complete specific, measurable goals and objectives to be accomplished during the planning and development. These goals will revolve around the CODA accreditation for the residency program through a partnership with an accredited University, formal assessment of competencies, increasing interprofessional oral healthcare, and addressing healthcare disparities in marginalized populations. Once the residency has reached accreditation, it is expected that competent and driven residents will be recruited and, through the established curriculum and faculty, will produce well-versed pediatric dentists. The requested funding will allow for the hiring of a program director to guide, advise, and evaluate the program while working through the goals and objectives.
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).