G-2407-21976

Vista Community Clinic (VCC) is a federally qualified health center (FQHC) that has been providing medical and dental services to southern California residents for over 40 years.

As a 2023 recipient of a Community and Care Transformation RFP grant from CareQuest Institute, VCC introduced a Dental Integration Coordinator role to its largest clinic location. This coordinator is tasked with conducting in-person outreach and education with parents to identify children without dental homes and to facilitate dental appointments and the distribution of oral health education materials. Through the integration of this role, VCC successfully increased the number of pediatric dental patients by 20%. However, despite this progress, an estimated 40% of pediatric patients remain overdue for oral healthcare.

With this proposal, VCC seeks funding to expand its dental integration project by adding a second Coordinator position and extending the program to four additional VCC locations that offer dental services. In addition to the responsibilities outlined above, the additional Coordinator will facilitate oral health care refresher training for Medical Assistants in Pediatrics and Family Medicine. This training will cover topics such as recommended appointment frequencies, fluoride varnish application, warm hand-off procedures, and scheduling same-day appointments. The Coordinator will also coordinate training and education for expectant parents on early childhood oral health, emphasizing the importance of initiating dental care as soon as the first tooth erupts.

VCC and the current Coordinator, hired through the RFP grant, were active participants in the monthly RFP Learning Community. Their success and innovative care model, centered around the Coordinator position, have generated significant interest among fellow Learning Community participants. Numerous organizations have expressed interest in replicating this role, and the Coordinator has established valuable connections with other organizations for ongoing collaboration and knowledge sharing. While highly programmatic, this position and care model demonstrate the potential for scalability and systemic change within similar Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) systems nationwide.

This request is for $125,000, which is less than 1% of the organization’s overall budget. The grant funds will support staff time, including two Dental Integration Coordinator positions, local travel, educational supplies, and printing costs, along with other indirect costs.