CHAD Connection

Promoting access to dental care is core to CHAD’s mission. Our member health centers provide dental care to underserved rural communities and underserved populations such as the uninsured and those with Medicaid coverage who sometimes have difficulty finding a dentist who will take their insurance. Here is a map of the locations where Dakotans can get dental care, regardless of insurance type or ability to pay: CHAD Map.

Achieving access to dental care for all has been a steep challenge for many years, and through the pandemic that goal has seemed to slip even further out of reach. A visual picture of unmet need became clear this past Fall in Bismarck with a Mission of Mercy event designed to provide a weekend of free care through volunteer dentists, hygienists, and an amazing crew of volunteers.

While there is so much to celebrate in the volunteerism, effort, expense, and sheer logistical prowess of putting on an event of this magnitude, it also showed how far we still have to go when hundreds of individuals (ultimately 778 were served) were lining up, some starting the night before, to get access to dental care. When asked why they do not have regular access to dental care, the most common responses were:

"No insurance & I didn’t think I could afford it" (66.9 percent)

"Can’t find a dentist who will take a payment plan" (18.4 percent)

"Can’t find dentist to take my insurance" (15.9 percent)

About 40 percent of individuals reported experiencing dental pain and around 40 percent drove over an hour to attend.

The incredible demand for services that was evoked by the offering of free dental care was not surprising to the health centers of North Dakota who regularly report being unable to meet ongoing needs for oral health care, especially for those who are uninsured or covered by Medicaid. They report waiting lists that quickly become so long (stretching into years, not months) that they are unworkable. They also express the desperate need for more dentists and dental staff.

For all of these reasons, CHAD is working with oral health partners to support legislation to add a dental benefit for the Medicaid expansion population during the 2025 legislative session. Medicaid expansion does not currently include dental care in North Dakota. This benefit just makes sense because it brings significant federal resources (90% of the total cost) into the state to help resource our oral health care system. Having more patients with coverage means that more care is reimbursed, allowing health centers to pay competitive wages to dentists and dental staff. It also means that many of those who were waiting in line for a once-every-three-years opportunity for free care will now have access to regular, affordable dental services.

Adding dental coverage for adults with Medicaid Expansion would be a huge step toward access to dental care for all, but it doesn’t entirely solve the shortage of dental providers in the state. CHAD is also proud to lead the North Dakota Oral Health Coalition, which is a coalition of dental providers, researchers, and public health officials working to identify and recommend systemic solutions to the dental workforce crisis and the dental health access challenges North Dakotans face. Through the work of the Oral Health Coalition, the North Dakota Health and Human Services Oral Health Program, community health centers and others, a few other bright spots are emerging.

Dakota College at Bottineau in Minot accepted their first dental assistant students in 2024 and will take their first hygiene students in the fall of 2025;

Bismarck State College is currently developing the curriculum to add a dental hygiene and dental assistant program;

Northland Health Center is opening an Urgent Dental Clinic in Ray in February;

Development of a dental assistance apprenticeship program through CHAD; and

Health centers in both North Dakota and South Dakota are working with dental schools in the upper Midwest to offer rotations for fourth year dental students.

Stay tuned to future CHAD Connection newsletters for an update on access to dental care in South Dakota, because there is lots happening there too!

MED Magazine featured Wade Erickson, CEO at Horizon Health, as he shared their wins for 2024 and hopes for 2025.

Coal Country Community Health Center was featured as one health center that is bridging the gap to health care for their community.

Oyate Health Center expands access to care through its innovative ride service.

Whitney Johnson, at Family HealthCare, was honored for her role on the Fargo Native American Commission.

Eman Yassin, a behavioral health intern at Family HealthCare, was awarded the 2024 Virginia McKnight Binger Heart of Community Honor by the McKnight Foundation.

CHAD invites member health centers and partners to participate in upcoming Health Center Day at the Capitol events in Pierre and Bismarck. Together, we’ll engage with lawmakers and state officials to showcase the vital role health centers play in providing primary medical, behavioral, and dental health services to communities across our states. Click the graphics above to register today!

Join health center leaders, staff, and patients in advocating for access to high-quality, affordable health care for all Dakotans, regardless of where they live.

Join us for the next installment of our Equity Talk series, hosted in collaboration with South Dakota Voices For Peace. This session will focus on educating health care facilities about their rights and their patients’ rights when it comes to immigration enforcement. Designed to address key federal policies and their implications, this webinar applies to attendees from both North Dakota and South Dakota.

Our Equity Talk sessions have a history of strong attendance, bringing together health centers, health systems, and public health partners. Don’t miss this opportunity to deepen your understanding and champion health equity in your organization and community.

Tuesday, January 28

12:00 pm CT / 11:00 am MT

Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program

Apply by January 27, 2025

The Rural Health Care Services Outreach Program (Outreach) is open and accepting applications for the program’s 4-year period of performance (May 1, 2025-April 30, 2029).  HRSA will make up to 50 awards to support rural communities to expand the delivery of health care services. These awards include:

An estimated 40 awards, each up to $250,000 per year, under the program’s regular track to support healthcare needs identified by the rural community applicant;

Up to 10 awards, each up to $300,000 per year, under the program’s special track to address the underlying factors that drive rural health disparities related to heart disease, cancer, unintentional injury/substance use, chronic lower respiratory disease, stroke, and maternal health.

For guidance on building evidence-based rural community health programs, check out these toolkits from the Rural Health Information Hub.

SPARK Grants
Apply by January 31, 2025

The Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Dakota Caring Foundation is excited to be accepting Letters of Intent for our SPARK Grants, a grant of up to $50,000, specifically designed to support nonprofits dedicated to improving health and wellbeing in their North Dakota community. The goal with this grant is to enhance collaborative efforts and community involvement that results in long-lasting change. This grant aims to enable organizations to expand their operations and programming, ultimately making a greater impact on the lives of those you serve.

Key Details of the Grant:

Grant Amount: Up to $50,000

Grant Length: These are a 1-year grant cycle

Timeline: Letters of Intent are accepted Jan. 1 – Jan. 31

Eligibility: Must be North Dakota based 501(c)(3) nonprofits, municipal entities (i.e. park boards, public health) or school systems

Letters of Intent (sample template attached for your convenience) can be submitted to caringfoundation@bcbsnd.com. For more information, visit www.bcbsnd.com/spark.

Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program
Apply by March 17, 2025

HRSA has opened a grant opportunity that aims to support community-based projects that promote access to preventative clinical and public health services for underserved children.

Successful Awardees Will:

Increase the number of children who receive screenings and referrals for behavioral health care, immunizations, and well-visits.

Implement an evidence-based preventative clinical or public health community-based project.

Build or strengthen at least three partnerships with maternal and child health (MCH) programs.

Develop a sustainability plan to support MCH population health improvements.

Learn More: Healthy Tomorrows Partnership for Children Program (HTPCP) | HRSA

Registration is now open for the Community Health Association of Mountain/Plains States (CHAMPS) 2025 CORE Competencies for Health Center Supervisors and Managers Training. Facilitated by Lisa Mouscher, CEO and Lead Consultant at Sogence Training and Consulting, this training is ideal for both first-time managers with 18 months of experience or less and seasoned managers looking to refresh and hone their skills. It offers intensive, hands-on skill building that is designed for immediate application.

The virtual course will be held over five Wednesday mornings, from February 26 to March 26, 2025, meeting from 10:00 AM-12:30 PM CT / 9:00-11:30 AM MT. Registration will close on Monday, January 27, 2025, or when the course reaches capacity.

Join the BeNCH Study: Shape the Future of Behavioral Health Care!

Are you a leader at a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) looking to drive meaningful change in behavioral health care? The BeNCH Study, a 5-year research project funded by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH), is seeking to connect.

What is BeNCH?
BeNCH will survey >3,600 clinical sites nationwide to assess the level of integrated behavioral health in community health centers. It will also identify key factors that promote behavioral health service delivery and evaluate how this impacts access to care and patient outcomes for Medicaid enrollees.

How will this benefit my organization?

FQHCs will receive benchmarking data on how their organizations compare to other similar FQHCs in processes and infrastructure related to integrated care, as well as behavioral health outcomes data from Medicaid claims. Partnering organizations will have the opportunity to help shape the interpretation of the results of this study and craft messages for dissemination to policy-makers and other stakeholders for advocacy.

Get Involved Today!
Ensure your FQHC’s representation in this critical study. Click here to learn more and submit your contact information to the study’s investigators. 

American Cancer Society, National Roundtable on Cervical Cancer, and National HPV Vaccination Roundtable are teaming up to present a 3-part webinar series focused on cervical, colorectal, and breast cancer prevention and screening.

Session 1: Promising Practices to Increase Cervical Cancer Prevention & Screening

Join us for an in-depth discussion on:

HPV vaccination rates and trends
Best practice – age 9 initiation
Current state of cervical cancer
Promising practice – self collection

Wednesday, January 29

1:00 pm CT / 12:00 pm MT

New Year's Resolution Series: DRVS Data Hygiene  

If you haven’t done so already, now is the time to plan your data health activities for 2024. During this webinar, we will explore the DRVS tools available that can support you in identifying issues, monitoring and analyzing trends, and improving the quality of your data. With these tips and tricks, you will be able to avoid the pre-reporting chaos and keep your data healthy all year long. This webinar is recommended for team members responsible for supporting data quality and validation. This might include clinical quality, IT/EHR support or data analysts, administrative staff, among others. 

Thursday, January 16 

1:00 pm CT / 12:00 pm MT 

Updates to Transitions of Care (TOC) Measures, Scorecards and Dashboards 

In January 2025, Azara will be retiring the legacy Transitions of Care (TOC) follow-up measures in DRVS. These measures are utilized in the TOC ED and IP Cascade Scorecards, the Transition of Care Dashboard and potentially custom scorecards or dashboards. The retirement of the measures will result in the removal of the TOC Cascade Scorecard and TOC Dashboard in DRVS as well as impact the custom reports which utilize the measures. This webinar will provide an overview of the measures and reports that will be retired and the possible impact on other custom reports. We will review the new TOC Dashboards, explore how to create new, custom dashboards and demonstrate how to use the most current DRVS functionality to get the data you need for your organization. Do not miss this session if you utilize the TOC measures, scorecards, and dashboards in DRVS! 

Tuesday, January 21 

12:00 pm CT / 11:00 am MT 

New Year's Resolution Series: DRVS Admin 

As part of our New Years Resolution series, we invite you to join this webinar for a review of the opportunities available within basic DRVS Administration. This webinar will provide an overview of key admin functionalities including provider & location groups, targets, shared filters, email subscriptions, and more. Follow along with us in DRVS and ask your questions to DRVS experts. Participants attending this session should have DRVS Admin privileges.  

Thursday, January 23 

1:00 pm CT / 12:00 pm MT 