The Patient-Centered Dental-Health Home * What do you know about barriers to accessing care and how will your plan address those? Note: if you have a medical clinic that already serves the target population, you will have many of the answers. However here are some examples: * Transportation availability and affordability. * Loss of work-time and income, perhaps even jeopardizing employment. * Lack of child-care and need to bring other family members with them. * Language and comprehension. * Physical disabilities. * Developmental disabilities. * Psycho-social disabilities. * Cultural and religious beliefs and practices. Note: The ASTDD website - www.astdd.org - provides data on disease and access collected from state surveillance programs. You may find this resource helpful. What Do They Really Need? How will your target population be healthier as a result of the implementation of your dental component? Consider the following outcomes as you answer this question: * Elimination of active oral disease. * Strong focus on oral disease prevention and reduction of early childhood caries. * Decrease in the risk of disease complications related to periodontal disease, such as pre-term birth, heart disease, and diabetes management. * Restoration of aesthetics and function. * Improved overall health, especially where system diseases such as diabetes are better managed with the inclusion of regular oral health care and management of periodontal disease. * Integrated medical and dental services to maximize patient time taken at your facility. * Integration of spaces that reflect cultural/spiritual beliefs such as healing or meditation gardens. * The ability to provide preventive services to the children accompanying scheduled adult patients. * Enabling Services such as Case Managers or Promotores de Salud to help patients reduce the stress of navigating care requirements and more effectively access the care they need. In fact, Enabling Services are really an essential part of program sustainability. For more information, please call 1-800-851-0400 9http://www.astdd.org