Carilion Clinic's Pediatric Dentistry Featured in AHRQ Innovations Profile
Roanoke, VA - September 28, 2009
The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality’s (AHRQ) Health Care Innovations Exchange features Carilion Clinic’s pediatric dentistry as an innovative strategy and effective way to deliver to healthcare. Carilion Clinic’s pediatric dentistry is a hospital-based outpatient clinic providing comprehensive dental care to uninsured and underinsured children and to children with medical, physical, or developmental disabilities.
“Carilion Clinic Children’s Hospital is dedicated to providing children access to high quality healthcare which includes comprehensive dental care,” says Gary Helton, manager of Carilion Dental Care. “Children with physical, medical or developmental disabilities often do not receive oral healthcare. We are proud that we can offer preventive and restorative procedures for that patient population.”
The program serves children from birth to age 21, with the goal of increasing access and improving oral health. In partnership with the Community Based Health Care Coalition, Carilion Clinic has improved the oral health of approximately 18,000 patients through more than 48,000 visits. This program was made possible by financial support from the Virginia Health Care Foundation, the Carilion Community Health Fund, the Maupin-Sizemore Foundation, Delta Dental of Virginia and numerous private donors.
The Innovations Exchange was developed to increase awareness of innovative strategies and to share better and more effective ways to deliver care through the online application. Information on the problem addressed, description of innovative activity, results, context of the innovation, planning and development process, and more is featured in the online profile.
To view the Innovations profile, please visit www.innovations.ahrq.gov/content.aspx?id=2436&tab=1.
For more information on Carilion Clinic’s pediatric dentistry, please visit www.carilionclinic.org/Carilion/Pediatric+Dentistry.
