Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)
National Cooperative Agreement

In 2008, the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) was awarded its first Cooperative Agreement under the National Training and Technical Assistance Cooperative Agreements through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).  While there have been many Cooperative Agreements executed by HRSA, this is the first Cooperative Agreement that involves a Health Center oral health program network.    Through the Cooperative Agreement, NNOHA has made significant strides to provide technical assistance to Health Centers seeking to provide, expand, or improve oral health services. 

National Primary Oral Health Conference:  In partnership with HRSA, NNOHA has been serving as the lead in planning the National Primary Oral Health Conference (NPOHC).  The 2009 NPOHC was held November 2 – 4, 2009.  The conference was highly successful, with 412 attendees, 100% of whom rated the conference as ‘good’ or ‘excellent’.   The locations for the 2010 and 2011 conferences have already been announced to the membership.  http://www.nnoha.org/conference/npohc.html

Practice Management:  NNOHA convened a Practice Management Summit and brought together experts in the field of Practice Management and Technical Assistance in Health Center dental programs. The summit helped to identify needed resources to help Health Center dental programs operate more effectively. NNOHA’s Practice Management committee is building on the summit by developing an Operations Manual for Health Center Oral Health Programs.

Operations Manual for Health Center Oral Health Programs: NNOHA’s Practice Management committee is developing an operations manual that includes productivity standards, contact information for Health Center oral health programs, training resources, program management recommendations, Federal Tort Claims Act information, and other resources needed by Health Centers.  The first chapter, “Health Center Fundamentals,” has been distributed to all Health Centers  and is published on the NNOHA website, http://www.nnoha.org/practicemanagement/manual.html. 

Workforce: The NNOHA website hosts a job bank to help connect candidates looking for a career in service to underserved patients with Health Center dental openings .  NNOHA also completed a Salary and Retention Survey of Health Center oral health professionals.  The survey was completed by 701 Health Center oral health providers and 338 Executive Directors.  Initial results were shared at the 2009 National Primary Oral Health Conference Nov. 2-4, 2009.  A final report is currently in development.  http://www.nnoha.org/dentalcareers.html

Oral Disease Prevention:  NNOHA convened experts in oral disease prevention to host the 2008 Childhood Lifecycles Summit on Oral Disease Prevention, to review and recommend effective strategies that can be implemented in Health Centers and other safety-net dental programs across the country.  The summit focused on programs that have demonstrated success in caries prevention and management.  A white paper on the findings from the Summit was issued in April 2009.  http://www.nnoha.org/generalpage.html

NNOHA Newsletter:  NNOHA issues a quarterly newsletter to support Health Center oral health providers in clinical and operations management.  Articles have included Practice Management topics, technological updates, and philosophies about working in Health Center oral health programs. The newsletter is a valuable resource in linking oral health providers to the resources they need. http://www.nnoha.org/generalpage.html

Peer Publications:  NNOHA partnered with the Editor of the Journal of the California Dental Association to write an entire issue of the Journal dedicated to Health Center oral health programs.  NNOHA identified authors, convened conference calls of the authors, and edited journal articles. 

Health Information Technology:  NNOHA convened a Health Information Technology Committee to assess the electronic health record needs of Health Center oral health programs, and make recommendations to guide Health Centers in selecting technology solutions that are compatible with the systems used by both medical and dental staff.  A White Paper, “Guide to the Future: Using Hit to Improve Oral Health Access and Outcomes,” was issued in November 2008, and is available on the NNOHA website.  Feedback on the paper has been very positive, and NNOHA has received several requests for partnerships to address health information technology in the oral health setting. http://www.nnoha.org/generalpage.html

FQHC Dental Study:  NNOHA is working with the California Pipeline program to study Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) oral health program finances.   Funded by The California Endowment, this study will collect data from up to 40 FQHC oral health programs.  The goal is to assist individual FQHCs in improving their effectiveness and efficiency, and at the national level, to build the case for more public support.  

NNOHA Webinar Series: NNOHA has contracted with Clinical Directors Network of New York to produce webcasts to provide ongoing training and continuing education opportunities for Health Center oral health programs.  During the summer of 2009, a series of four webinars were presented on various topics, including Health Center Fundamentals and Risk Management. The 2009 webinars were attended by over 430 participants.  A new series started in December 2009.  Upcoming webinar topics include Health Center Financial Management and Four-Handed Dentistry.  http://www.nnoha.org/practicemanagement/webinars.html

Publications:  NNOHA’s website hosts various publications (http://www.nnoha.org/generalpage.html).

• Operations Manual for Health Center Oral Health Programs (January 2009 – )
• NNOHA Newsletter
• 2008 Prevention Summit Summary Paper – “Bringing Evidence and Best Practices into Health Center Dental Programs: Improving Childhood Oral Health” (April 2009)
• HIT White Paper - “Guide to the Future: Using Hit to Improve Oral Health Access and Outcomes” (November 2008)

 This site is supported by Grant/Cooperative Agreement No. #U30CS09745 from the Health Resources and Services Administration Bureau of Primary Health Care (HRSA/BPHC). Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of HRSA/BPHC.