The West Virginia Kids Count program has received a $105,500 grant from the Claude Worthington Benedum Foundation to support a Medicaid policy to reimburse primary care providers for applying fluoride varnish to young children.
The money will also be used to develop an oral health indicator for the annual Kids Count Data Book and publish an essay on the state of children's oral health in West Virginia, according to the program.
The Kids Count Children's Oral Health Initiative has three key objectives, according to Executive Director Margie Hale:
- Collect and publish objective, reliable data to educate policymakers and the public about the importance of preventive dental care for young children.
- Expand its advisory committee to include the state's oral health leaders.
- Lead a grassroots effort to encourage West Virginia Medicaid to reimburse primary care physicians for applying fluoride varnish to young children during well-child visits and referring their patients to a permanent dental home.
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