Community Catalyst released a brief, “Minimally-Invasive Care: Policy Opportunities to Improve Dental Care Access and Affordability.” This resource provides an overview of state-level policies advocates can push for to ensure communities have access to comprehensive dental services, including minimally-invasive care, as well as federal policy considerations that will support its availability.
Big Gender Gap Seen in Health Center Visits
Link Between Oral Health and ADHD Explored
Nearly 9 million adults in the United States have attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). According to a new report from CareQuest, adults with ADHD face more oral health risks than adults without ADHD. This is partly due to the medications used to treat ADHD causing side effects such as increased tooth decay, gingivitis, and other issues. Dental and medical providers should work together to maintain optimal oral health.
CDC Releases Dental Caries Surveillance Report
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released a new report, the “2024 Oral Health Surveillance Report: Dental Caries, Tooth Retention, and Edentulism, United States, 2018-March 2020.”
This report used data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey to provide national estimates for the prevalence and severity of dental caries in primary and permanent teeth for individuals 2 years or older and for tooth retention in adults age 20 years or older. Among the findings, the report found that half of children ages 6 to 9 have had cavities in their primary or permanent teeth. More than 1 in 7 adults ages 65 and older have lost all of their teeth.
New CDC Report Released on ACEs Among U.S. High School Students
The latest Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) highlights just how connected Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) are to adolescent health. Billed as the most comprehensive data yet on this subject, the report concludes that preventing ACEs could reduce suicide attempts by as much as 89 percent, prescription pain medication misuse by as much as 84 percent, and persistent feelings of sadness or hopelessness by as much as 66 percent. Earlier this year, the CDC issued a Rural Policy Brief showing suicide rates have been consistently higher in rural areas than in urban areas over the past two decades. Between 2000-2020, suicide rates increased 46 percent in non-metro areas compared to 27.3 percent in metro areas. A separate CDC Rural Policy Brief on suicide prevention released in July features a case study from a successful program for adolescents in tribal community in New Mexico. In 2018, the National Advisory Committee on Rural Health and Human Services delivered an in-depth report on the rural context for ACEs, with recommendations for federal policy.
Behavioral Health Workforce Study
Behavioral health providers are being asked to participate in an important research study titled “Experiences and Trajectories of the Behavioral Workforce in Pennsylvania.” This study aims to better understand the experiences of Pennsylvania’s behavioral health workers and the factors that affect their career paths. Behavioral health workers in Pennsylvania, including individuals who hold a degree that is eligible for licensure (social workers, counselors, and therapists), are encouraged to participate. The survey should take approximately 10 minutes to complete. The goal of the survey is to better support the behavioral health workforce in Pennsylvania and to address challenges and barriers faced by behavioral health workers. Click here to access the survey. Please share the survey with other behavioral health providers in your organization.
Study in JAMA Shows CHCs use 340B to Expand Access, Argues Against “Lumping CHCs in” with Hospitals
The Journal of the American Medical Association Health Forum published a study from the University of Minnesota, which was based entirely on quantitative analysis of UDS and OPAIS (HRSA 340B) data. The article concluded that as FQHCs’ 340B savings increase, they serve a growing number of “total, uninsured and privately insured patient volume, as well as… low-income, unhoused and non–English-speaking populations.” FQHCs also provide “increased provision of health services that aren’t especially profitable for the facilities, but considered valuable preventative care measures, such as tobacco cessation counseling and HIV tests”.
New Toolkit Available on Talking to Workers, Understanding the Economy
Building trust. Removing bias. Empowering people to share their experiences.
These are just three things that come from using community-engaged research practices. They are also among the reasons why the Federal Reserve chose these methods to look beyond the numbers to understand the experiences and motivations of workers without a four-year degree in a post-pandemic labor market.
A new toolkit offers insights on using community-engaged research principles gleaned from the Worker Voices Project and shows how others can use them in their own work.
CDC Study Released on Delayed Oral Health Care and Diabetes
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) published a new study showing that adults with diabetes are more likely to delay oral health care due to cost than adults without diabetes. This is the first study to provide national prevalence estimates of delayed oral health care due to cost among people with diabetes, and the first to describe the risk factors for delayed oral health care among people with diabetes. The study found that approximately 1 in 6 people with diabetes delay oral health care due to cost.
New Brief: The Role of Child Care in Family-centered Approaches to Treatment for Substance Use Disorder
Amid a persistent maternal mortality crisis in the United States, substance use is one of the most pronounced issues facing those who have recently given birth and other caregivers in Pennsylvania.
Interviews PolicyLab conducted with key stakeholders and caregivers in recovery across the Commonwealth, along with data and research by state and national entities, highlight the ways absence of quality child care prevents parents from accessing substance use treatment.
A new PolicyLab issue brief looks at how improving outcomes for pregnant and parenting individuals with substance use disorder (SUD) requires serving the whole family unit, explores the impact access to quality child care can have on a parent’s ability to access and sustain SUD treatment, and outlines potential ways to improve policy and practice.
While this resource presents a case study of this issue in Pennsylvania, the takeaways may be broadly applicable to other states seeking to build systems connections and support for caregivers in recovery.