FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 5, 2024

 New York State Dental Association Stands in Support of Dental Care Access Alongside Assemblywoman Woerner at Capitol Press Conference

Statewide organizations participated in a rally on the Million Dollar Staircase.

ALBANY, N.Y.—The New York State Dental Association (NYSDA) stood united with Assemblywoman Carrie Woerner and organizational leaders in and around the Capital Region, committed to being part of the solution in addressing ongoing access to dental care challenges across New York State.

From the Million Dollar Staircase at Monday’s press event, NYSDA’s Executive Director Greg Hill affirmed NYSDA's commitment to seeking solutions and strategies to improving access to care for all New Yorkers. Oral health is essential to general health and wellbeing, and no one knows that better than NYSDA and its more than 12,000 members.

“Some of our most vulnerable populations are also the ones hardest hit when access to dental care is not easily available. To assist these patients, NYSDA has hosted events that bring free dental care to the community,” said Hill. “Most recently, our Capital Region Community Dental Event at Hudson Valley Community College was successful in completing active treatment plans and ensuring that more than 120 people received dental screenings, emergent care, x-rays, treatment diagnosis, pain management guidance, extractions as needed, and connected these patients with dental health homes.”

Events like the Capital Region Community Dental Event have successfully used Community Dental Health Coordinators (CDHC) as a solution to connect patients to a dental home. 

NYSDA remains committed to addressing the access to oral health care crisis. This can be done through proposed legislation and budgetary actions such as: loan relief to dentists through the Doctors Across New York Program, tax incentivization programs for oral health providers participating in Medicaid, allowing current oral health providers to expand their scope of practice and increasing dental-specific Medicaid reimbursement rates. 

In addition to proposals discussed on Monday, NYSDA continues to advocate for more community resources. With support from the Legislature & Governor in the form of state funding, the My Healthy Smiles NY (MHSNY) Program could be launched. MHSNY is a four-year program aimed at addressing oral health challenges facing New Yorkers by deploying CDHC in strategic regions to facilitate care coordination, conduct community outreach, promote dental workforce and gather essential data related to oral health in New York.

View a list of NYSDA Legislative Priorities

About the New York State Dental Association:  
The New York State Dental Association, founded in 1868, is one of the largest state constituents of the American Dental Association and represents more than 60 percent of dentists practicing in New York State. Founded in 1859, the American Dental Association is the oldest and largest national dental society in the world and serves as the leading source of oral health-related information for dentists and their patients.  

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