Eight states will join a federally funded initiative to raise awareness and improve access to oral healthcare for pregnant women and infants, the Children's Dental Health Project (CDHP) announced.
The states will receive grants totaling nearly $2 million from the Maternal and Child Health Bureau, a division of the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The money goes to projects that integrate oral health and primary care delivery systems and also expand opportunities for direct access to oral health services in safety-net settings.
Currently, Connecticut, New York, and West Virginia a part of the program. The new grantees include the following:
- California Department of Public Health
- Children's Hospital of Wisconsin
- Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
- MaineHealth
- Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene
- Rhode Island Department of Health
- University of New Mexico
- Virginia Department of Health
"We are excited to have these eight new states join our network to share their ideas and experience," stated Meg Booth, director of the National Network for Perinatal Oral Health and the director of policy at CDHP. "This is an exciting time to be working on the oral health of women and children."
