Virginia aims to declare water a human right

California is the only state in the country with a human right to water enshrined in law that guarantees affordable access to water. Virginia could soon become the second state. On January 26, the Virginia House of Delegates approved House Joint Resolution 538 that recognizes “access to clean, potable, and affordable water is a necessary human right.” There is…

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Front Line Innovations – Aerosol Management Part 3

Research has shown COVID-19 is transmitted through aerosols. To combat this the CDC recommends aerosol management practices for dental offices. In the last of a three-part blog series Dr. McAllister Castelaz, the dental director at Horizon Health Services Ivor Dental Center shares how aerosol management coupled with minimally invasive dentistry is reshaping dental care. View…

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Front Line Innovations – Aerosol Management Part 2

Research has shown COVID-19 is transmitted through aerosols. To combat this the CDC recommends aerosol management practices for dental offices. In part two of a three-part blog series Dr. McAllister Castelaz, the dental director at Horizon Health Services Ivor Dental Center shares how aerosol management is reshaping dental care. View part one of the series…

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Front Line Innovations – Aerosol Management Part 1

Research has shown COVID-19 is transmitted through aerosols. To combat this the CDC recommends aerosol management practices for dental offices. In the following three-part blog series Dr. McAllister Castelaz, the dental director at Horizon Health Services Ivor Dental Center shares how aerosol management is reshaping dental care. Aerosol and aerosol management is top of mind…

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Why I Apply Fluoride Varnish in my Practice

As a family physician, I have the unique opportunity of caring for my patients from childhood through adulthood. This means I see firsthand the positive impact early oral health habits can have on a person’s life, from a healthier childhood smile, to a healthier adulthood. Over the years we have learned that oral health impact…

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Front Line Innovations – Racial Equity in Virginia

At the 2019 Virginia Oral Health Summit author Tamara Lucas Copeland spoke with Dr. Vanessa Walker Harris, who now serves as a Virginia Deputy Secretary of Health about the intersection of race and health. I encourage you to relisten to their conversation now through the lens of the COVID-19 crisis and the inequities it has…

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Front Line Innovations – Policy Changes to Improve Oral Health

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the face of oral health care. Virginia Health Catalyst is highlighting innovations in oral health through the Front Line Innovations blog series. This week’s blog from Pat Finnerty, Catalyst’s policy committee chair and a former director of the state’s Medicaid program looks at federal policy innovations to improve access to oral…

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Front Line Innovations – Minimally Invasive Dentistry

COVID-19 has fundamentally changed the way dentistry operates now and in the future. Virginia Health Catalyst is highlighting topics in oral health that focus on ways to provide care in a post-COVID-19 world through its Front Line Innovations blog series. The first blog in our series is from Dr. McAllister Castelaz, the dental director at…

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