R-2306-18531

Henry J. Austin Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) located in Trenton, New Jersey with two locations, serving more than 5,000 patients/year. Henry J. Austin Health Center delivers person-centered, high-quality health care. Working with community partners, the team provides trauma-informed, holistic care to maximize individuals’ strengths and abilities to achieve optimal health and well-being.

This project proposes to create a teledentistry program to increase access for acute oral health ailment through five priority activities:

1. Ensure a robust telecommunication infrastructure

2. Train and educate dental professionals in telemedicine:

3. Develop standardized protocols and guidelines:

4. Enhance patient awareness and accessibility:

5. Establish a robust data evaluation process for the teledentistry program

This initiative grew from their review of a formal Community Health Needs Assessment as well as feedback collected from their own service community residents and stakeholders. They will build the program with ongoing community input, including the creation of an oral health advisory group, focus groups, the Trenton Health Team and later, with patient satisfaction feedback as part of their project evaluation once the project is up and running. The work will be spread and scaled through case studies, research publications and webinars. The CEO of HJAHC serves on the board of directors for the National Association of Community Health Centers and will learnings at their conference.

The budget for this proposal is $125,000, which represents less than 1% of HJAHC’s overall budget. Funding will support a dentist and dental assistant plus indirect funds.

This proposal is one of 10 selected finalists for the Community and Care Transformation RFP.