"A philosophical question: How much medical training is needed to treat patients? Some say it’s the full course as proscribed by existing medical, nursing or dental schools. But when the shortages of doctors, nurses and dentists are ginormous, does the need require a different answer? Consider oral health. “Shortages of dental practitioners and affordable dental care are hurting the health of millions of Americans, many of whom live with pain, miss school or work, and, in extreme cases, face life-threatening medical emergencies that result from dental infections. The situation is particularly severe for poor children and families and in communities of color,” writes Burton L. Edelstein, DDS, MPH Columbia University and Children’s Dental Health Project in a Dec. 2009 report for the W.W. Kellogg Foundation. And, like most health issues, the data shows that Indian Country is at the low end of the spectrum. One study described it this way: “The American Indian / Alaska Native “population has the highest tooth decay rate of any population cohort in the United States: 5 times the US average for children 2–4 years of age. Seventy-nine percent of AIAN children, aged 2–5 years, have tooth decay, with 60% of these children having severe early childhood caries (baby bottle tooth decay). Eighty-seven percent of these children, aged 6–14 years, have a history of decay—twice the rate of dental caries experienced by the general population.”" Get the Story:
Expanding access to oral health through innovation (Mark Trahant 6/21) Related Stories:
Mark Trahant: Sometimes less is more in health care system (6/14)
Mark Trahant: Indian Country deals with shortage of doctors (6/8)
Mark Trahant: A new debate emerges on health care reform (6/1)
Mark Trahant: Questions about tribes and health reform law (5/24)
Mark Trahant: IHS not threatened by health reform litigation (5/17)
Mark Trahant: An employee's view of Indian Health Service (5/10)
Mark Trahant: Measuring progress of Indian Health Service (5/3)
Mark Trahant: Health care reform brings more jobs to IHS (4/27)
Mark Trahant: IHCIA brings hope for urban Indian health (4/19)
Mark Trahant: Health reform debate to continue for years (4/12)
Mark Trahant: Should Native Americans buy own insurance (4/5)
Mark Trahant: Obama's exciting pick for Medicaid agency (3/30)
Mark Trahant: Delivering promises for Indian health care (3/22)
Mark Trahant: Health care reform vote as a litmus test (3/15)
Mark Trahant: Facebook group gathers IHS war stories (3/8)
Mark Trahant: IHS not mentioned at Blair House summit (3/1)
Mark Trahant: Reaching consensus on Indian health (2/22)
Mark Trahant: Alaska Natives create a model system (2/15)
Mark Trahant: Growing the IHS budget in tough times (2/8)
Mark Trahant: Transparency and Indian Health Service (2/1)
Mark Trahant: Transparency in health care reform bill (1/25)
Mark Trahant: Starting over on Indian health reform bill (1/20)
Mark Trahant: IHS Director Roubideaux on passing IHCIA (1/18)
Mark Trahant: Business model for Indian Health Service (1/12)
Mark Trahant: Some resoluting on Indian tobacco use (1/6)
Mark Trahant: IHCIA now a part of Senate health bill (12/21)
Mark Trahant: Projects improve Indian health care (12/14)
Mark Trahant: Work together for health care reform (12/8)
Mark Trahant: Health care system tied to economy (12/7)
Mark Trahant: Health reform bill tests democracy (11/30)
Mark Trahant: Health reform boosts Indian Country (11/23)
Mark Trahant: Health care reform dead in Senate (11/17)
Mark Trahant: New Republican 'interest' in IHCIA (11/2)
Rep.Hastings objects to IHCIA in health reform bill (10/30)
Mark Trahant: Send Medicaid funds right to IHS (10/29)
Mark Trahant: Health care debate drags on and... (10/26)
Mark Trahant: Guaranteed rights to health care (10/19)
Mark Trahant: Health care debate not over (10/12)
Mark Trahant: Effortless Indian Country care (10/5)
Mark Trahant: Tribal provisions in health reform (9/28)
Mark Trahant: Taxation of tribal health benefits (9/21)
Mark Trahant: Indian Health Service paradox (9/17)
Mark Trahant: Indian exemption and insurance (9/16)
Mark Trahant: Revive the public health hospital (9/14)
Mark Trahant: Grandma and health care reform (9/9)
Mark Trahant: Ted Kennedy steps aside for health (8/31)
Mark Trahant: Tribes, IHS and health coverage (8/25)
Mark Trahant: Ideas for health care reform (8/17)
Mark Trahant: Duality in Indian health care (8/10)
Mark Trahant: Health care from a different view (8/4)
Mark Trahant: Indian businesses and health care (7/28)
Mark Trahant: First Americans are last in health (7/21)
Mark Trahant: Getting into Indian health reform (7/14)
Mark Trahant: Lessons from Indian Country health (7/10)
Mark Trahant: IHS isn't broken, just underfunded (7/9)
Mark Trahant: Indian health care at the local level (7/8)