Sen.

Durbin meets with ADA, state and local representatives

for a roundtable discussion
August 08, 2014
Evanston, Ill. From the Affordable Care Act and community water fluoridation to dental
student debt and Mission of Mercy events, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin asked experts about a wide
range of issues affecting dental care for Illinois citizens during an hour-long roundtable discussion
Aug. 5 at Erie Family Health Center in Evanston.
Representatives from the ADA, the Illinois State Dental Association, the Chicago Dental Society,
local elected officials from Evanston, the Illinois Primary Healthcare Association and Erie Family
Health Center gathered to offer the senator a tour of Erie's Evanston dental clinic and answer his
questions on a variety of topics.
Sen. Durbin's visit began with a tour of the health center dental clinic, where Erie staff showcased
the comprehensive range of oral health services available; the impact of Affordable Care Act,
Medicaid and private insurance funding for patients in all of its clinics and use electronic health
records.
"How does the quality of care here compare to a private dental office?" Sen. Durbin asked Dr. Lisa
Kearney, the clinic's dental director.
"I feel like there is a misconception that if you visit a community health center, it will be a dark,
dingy place in a basement with outdated equipment, where patients may not receive optimal care,"
said Dr. Kearney. "In reality, community health centers like Erie Family Health Center are modern
and light http://ebscohost.com/titleLists/cin20-coverage.xls offices with state-of-the art equipment
where patients can receive the highest quality health care."
The senator followed up Dr. Kearney's answer by asking if the clinic had any trouble recruiting and
retaining dentists because of income differences between working in an FQHC and a private dental
practice.
Dr. Kearney also noted that many dental students graduate with student loan debt that is sometimes
$200,000 or more, and making a long term commitment to working at a health center can make
them eligible for loan forgiveness that reduces their debt.
When Sen. Durbin quizzed the group on solutions to reduce emergency room dental visits, Dr. Jane
Grover, director of the ADA Council on Access, Prevention and Interprofessional Relations
introduced him to the ADA's Action for Dental Health movement and how states and communities
nationwide are successfully implementing programs and strategies to lower ER visits and integrate
more patients into dental homes.
"There are several kinds of successful ER referral models that are showing results in treating
patients who have gone to the emergency room and were referred to dental offices to have the
emergency issue resolved," Dr. Grover said. "As a result, many of these patients have found a dental
home and have not needed to go back to an ER."
Sen. Durbin told the group that health centers like Erie are essential to providing good dental care
and can play an important role in reducing instances of prescription pain medicine abuse that can
occur as a result of patients going to an emergency room requesting prescription pain medication
for dental pain.
Sen. Durbin also met Jenna Linden, a Community Dental Health Coordinator and dental hygienist
who works in Appleton, Wisconsin. Ms. Linden has also completed CDHC sabbaticals in Vermont and
Florida. She explained her role in her community as a dental health educator for patients and
families, a coordinator to help patients find and access dental care services and a clinical provider of
limited preventive care services, including application of fluoride varnish and sealants.
"I was privileged to share my experiences as a CDHC with Sen. Durbin," Ms. Linden said,
"considering that I have witnessed first hand the vital role a CDHC can play in increasing access to
dental care and education among underserved populations."
The roundtable group also answered the senator's questions about the number of dentists in the
state, number of dental students graduating versus the number of dentists retiring, dental student
debt, dental education for schoolchildren and families, community water fluoridation and Mission of
Mercy events.
The National Association of Community Health Centers also presented Sen. Durbin with the 2014
Distinguished Community Health; Leadership Award during his visit.