September 14, 2011

I'm back after a few days of traveling, first on Monday to the Wichita District Dental Society annual meeting and then yesterday to the 2011 Regional Oral Health Summit where we discussed the role of public-private partnerships in improving oral health.  This is a nice segue into tomorrow's Oral Health Kansas annual meeting in Overland Park.  I'll be attending parts of that, but not all.

The meeting yesterday was an opportunity for Iowa, Nebraska, Missouri and Kansas to come together and talk about how oral health can be improved.  Of course the focus in the Kansas breakout was about rural access, the discussions were broad and it was evident that there is not simply one solution. The KDA is already working towards most of the ideas that came out of that breakout group, including utilizing bridging loans and other funding to bring new dentists into rural areas. The breakout also gave the KDA an opportunity to talk about the need for funding to support adult Medicaid, which is an integral part of the access puzzle.

We're wrapping up our district meetings over the next few days and then on Monday, I'll be traveling to Marysville to speak to the local Rotary Club about the Kansas Mission of Mercy project.