May 25, 2000-Ingham County Community Voices announced that local efforts are already underway to address what U.S. Surgeon General David Satcher called a "silent crisis" in a major report on oral health released today in Washington, DC.

In Ingham County, there are more uninsured or Medicaid residents with pressing oral health needs than there are dentists available to serve them. "The County Health Department''s adult dental clinic has not been able to expand its capacity for the number of increasing clients," said Bruce Miller, Director of Community Health Services at the County Health Department. "Each week we struggle with a minimum of 40 to 50 urgent needs calls, and we can only handle a fraction. These are all adults, probably not many are covered by Medicaid, and all have an income averaging less than 140 percent of the poverty level."

Since its inception in December 1999, an oral health task force sponsored by Community Voices has accomplished a great deal to expand access to dental care for residents in Ingham County. The task force, comprised of over 30 community members, encouraged development of a proposal to the state of Michigan for a $360,000 grant to expand dental care capacity for Medicaid-eligible children. The new children''s dental clinic will be operated by the County Health Department in space leased from Ingham Regional Medical Center.

In addition, the task force is presently developing an action plan in hopes of increasing public awareness around the importance of oral health access and creating a new capacity to serve uninsured adults. Other objectives the task force plans to accomplish include: 1) the creation of new methods for funding and streamlining access for both doctors and patients; 2) working with local school districts to ensure all children receive reliable dental screenings, follow-up care, and oral health education; and 3) working with local health systems to establish links and increase capacity for residents who need urgent dental care and reliable follow-up care.

In the report, the Surgeon General urges a national partnership to improve the understanding of oral health and its impact on individuals' well-being. The Surgeon General also calls for collaborations to reduce disparities and inequities among Americans in oral health diagnosis, prevention, and treatment options.

Ingham County's oral health goal is a component of a community process to create an organized system of care for the Capital Area. Community Voices is a multi-year national effort supported by the W.K. Kellogg Foundation to increase access to health care for underserved citizens through community-based planning and policy development.