History
Action for Children and Teens in Oral Health Need (ACTION) was founded at the Harvard School of Dental Medicine (HSDM) in 2009 by HSDM student, Hyewon Lee, and HSDM faculty member, Dr. David Okuji. The ACTION program is based on the need for access to pediatric dental care by the patient-community of the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) and serves as a venue for students to learn about clinical dentistry in the community. HSDM students work as providers, assistants, and managers during the monthly Saturday clinics. Along with attending dentists and staff at the Windsor Street Dental Clinic (WSDC), students work to facilitate care including exams, prophylaxis, restorations, and extractions for Cambridge children. The WSDC is the only pediatric dental clinic of its kind in the CHA system, and it fulfills a need in the community by accepting MassHealth, the public health insurance program for Massachusetts residents with low-to-medium incomes.
In 2009, about 500,000 residents younger than 21 years of age were enrolled in MassHealth; however, in the same time period only 34% of the licensed dentists accepted the state insurance, and fewer than 50% of the children enrolled in the MassHealth dental program had received a dental examination. Since the first pediatric clinic in July 2009, the WSDC has had over 1,000 patient appointments.
The ACTION program maintains its sustainability by serving as a low-cost, rather than no-cost, clinic. 99% of patients seen are eligible for MassHealth, enabling the clinic to provide materials and equipment for student use at no cost to families served. Few private dental practices accept MassHealth, making ACTION an especially accessible outlet for dental care. Families may schedule appointments independently or be referred through a CHA primary care provider. Each clinic session is staffed by 7 pre-clinical dental students serving as assistants, 5 clinical dental students care providers, 2 general practice residents, a salaried dental assistant, and an attending dentist. Electronic medical and dental records are used by students providing treatment. Student managers provide administrative support before and during each clinic session. Students proficient in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Portuguese and a phone interpreter service are available to ensure culturally competent care.
The ACTION program works to address inequities in oral health access in several ways. First, provider misdistribution problems contribute substantially to oral health disparities and students with experience in such settings are more likely to serve them throughout their careers as providers. In addition to this longer-term met need, the patients seen by students at ACTION come from low-income families, are referred to the program by CHA pediatricians, and represent part of a legitimate present need in the Cambridge community. Providing care to these patients is furthermore part of the general movement to integrate oral health into primary care in an increasingly holistic patient care model. Future efforts will seek to further increase inter-professional partnership in considering the overall health of patients, including inviting resident physicians to train in limited oral health care delivery.
Beginning in May 2017, ACTION began a partnership with the Tobin Community Center located in Mission Hill. ACTION volunteers provide a dental health booth for disadvantaged children and families, with services such as oral hygiene instruction, dental screenings and referrals, and free toothbrushes.
In 2009, about 500,000 residents younger than 21 years of age were enrolled in MassHealth; however, in the same time period only 34% of the licensed dentists accepted the state insurance, and fewer than 50% of the children enrolled in the MassHealth dental program had received a dental examination. Since the first pediatric clinic in July 2009, the WSDC has had over 1,000 patient appointments.
The ACTION program maintains its sustainability by serving as a low-cost, rather than no-cost, clinic. 99% of patients seen are eligible for MassHealth, enabling the clinic to provide materials and equipment for student use at no cost to families served. Few private dental practices accept MassHealth, making ACTION an especially accessible outlet for dental care. Families may schedule appointments independently or be referred through a CHA primary care provider. Each clinic session is staffed by 7 pre-clinical dental students serving as assistants, 5 clinical dental students care providers, 2 general practice residents, a salaried dental assistant, and an attending dentist. Electronic medical and dental records are used by students providing treatment. Student managers provide administrative support before and during each clinic session. Students proficient in Spanish, Cantonese, Mandarin, Korean, and Portuguese and a phone interpreter service are available to ensure culturally competent care.
The ACTION program works to address inequities in oral health access in several ways. First, provider misdistribution problems contribute substantially to oral health disparities and students with experience in such settings are more likely to serve them throughout their careers as providers. In addition to this longer-term met need, the patients seen by students at ACTION come from low-income families, are referred to the program by CHA pediatricians, and represent part of a legitimate present need in the Cambridge community. Providing care to these patients is furthermore part of the general movement to integrate oral health into primary care in an increasingly holistic patient care model. Future efforts will seek to further increase inter-professional partnership in considering the overall health of patients, including inviting resident physicians to train in limited oral health care delivery.
Beginning in May 2017, ACTION began a partnership with the Tobin Community Center located in Mission Hill. ACTION volunteers provide a dental health booth for disadvantaged children and families, with services such as oral hygiene instruction, dental screenings and referrals, and free toothbrushes.
Mission
At ACTION we strive to correct disparities in access to oral health care through offering a sustainable, low-cost clinic. ACTION works with Cambridge Health Alliance at the Windsor Street Health Center, located within the Cambridge community in order to better serve the local population.
ACTION statistics
As of December 2020, ACTION has successfully provided dental treatments in over 2,852 appointments for our pediatric patients.