Community and SBHC Dental Program Specialist

Dental Care Outreach Coordinator

Work within the diverse communities, including schools, to promote dental care awareness and plans to provide access via fixed site or mobile care. Develop outreach strategies to enhance the accessibility of dental care programs, at fixed sites, in school-based healthcare settings and via mobile dental units. Organize and present education, and trainings regarding the dynamics of care gaps, improve health outcomes Collaborate with other departments at the Community Health Center to develop strategies for interdiscilplinary care model approaches, including at locations served by mobile healthcare units.

Work closely with dentists and hygienists to support patient care needs, including sterilization and other clinical support.

Role and Responsibilities

• Support families by providing oral health education, importance of oral health and navigating the case management with operations and the providers to help and support the populations that need care.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with community and school system partners.
• Develop goals for the program, educate relevant teams using the train the trainer model
• For SBHC mobile dental and dental van patients, help ensure proper dental care plans are developed for necessary follow up care.
• Develop data dashboards and other reporting to monitor progress against goals, including those associated with relevant grants.
• Collect and evaluate data to determine the needs of the people we serve.
• Clearly convey information regarding the Community and SBHC Program goals and resource needs in health-related materials and in written proposals for programs and funding.
• Work with the Grants team to help identify grant opportunities to program goals
• Lead dental programs and facilitate discussion with clients and families.
• Develop tools and resources for patients to help with the dental care gaps
• Establish methods and goals for improving the dental health of the community; solve problems that arise in planning programs.
• Work in collaboration with Chief Dental Officer, on site dental directors, providers and case managers, as well as those managing mobile dental units
• Monitor, propose improvements to, and oversee implementation of, revised or new Sterilization and Infection control practices that may be important to maintain and improve quality metrics; seek, propose and implement in dental quality improvements
• Attend training workshops, conferences as approved by the programs
• Navigate the Electronic health record system to support the population needs
• Coordinate SBHC mobile dental schedules, including maximizing the number of students that can be seen at each session
• Attend special event planning meetings when appropriate
• Follow CHC policies and procedures

Qualifications and Preferred Skills

• Bachelor's degree in public health or public health education
• Graduate of accredited dental assisting or dental hygiene program or two years dental experience in general dentistry
• Certified in Dental Radiology
• Certified in Infection Control and maintain 1 hour of CE per state regulation
• Knowledge/interest/passion providing care to diverse patient population
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills (verbal and listening) and a patient-focused attitude combined with the ability to communicate effectively with internal and external partners/stakeholders
• Ability to work well under pressure and multitask in a fast-paced environment
• Attention to detail and ability to follow protocols for infection control
• Strong organizational skills
• Ability to complete competency evaluations plus relevant courses/in-service training workshops as required by the organization
• History of assisting during dental procedures which may have included collaboration with patients, motivating them and teaching them oral hygiene best practices to maintain optimum oral health would be a preferred skill.

Physical Requirements/Work Environment

Requires good manual dexterity and fine motor coordination; good vision; physical mobility and flexibility; good reflexes, light lifting required; potential exposure to blood borne pathogens through direct patient contact. Must follow OSHA standards and Universal Precautions at all times.

Work Schedule Demands

• Work as scheduled, with some evening and weekend hours as needed. Flexibility to travel to various CHC sites, school-based locations and mobile dental unit sites

Organization Information:

The Moses/Weitzman Health System is a global leader addressing challenges faced by organizations caring for the poor and diverse populations, and is home to programs focusing on education, research, and process improvement support for safety net providers. The system delivers primary care to more than 150,000 patients in Connecticut, and extends access to specialty care for more than 2.5 million individuals across the U.S. It is a national accrediting body for organizations training advanced practice providers, and offers accredited education and training for Medical Assistants in…