Integrating oral health into all aspects of health care can expand access to oral health services, enhance comprehensive health care, and improve patient wellness. Health providers from multiple disciplines can deliver oral health services, education and referrals in most care settings, and dental providers can offer similar clinical services. In many instances, these services are reimbursable. In all instances, they support collaborative care and whole-body health.
The Virginia Oral Health Coalition (VaOHC) has put together a new resource for health providers who are interested in oral health integration: the Integration Toolkit. The toolkit is hosted on our website and is accessible from our homepage (www.vaoralhealth.org).
The Integration Toolkit is an online resource that walks you through key steps of integration, from identifying your patients’ major health care needs to analyzing financial models, and more. The toolkit includes:
- Sample oral health integration models;
- Prompt questions to consider with your team;
- An integration checklist; and,
- Many resources you can download and use today.
VaOHC developed the Integration Toolkit with grant funding from the Richmond Memorial Health Foundation, in partnership with The Daily Planet and Community Health Solutions. For questions and feedback about the toolkit, or to submit additional resources, please contact Sarah Bedard Holland at 804.269.8721 or sholland@vaoralhealth.org.
