The Oral Health Network of Missouri, Inc. (OHNM) was born out of the activities of the Missouri Coalition for Oral Health Access. The Coalition, organized in 1999 at the request of the Oral Health Program of the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services and the Missouri Dental Association, is sponsored and administered by Missouri Coalition for Primary Health Care (MPCA).

The Coalition conducted research to determine oral health access barriers and disparities facing low-income and/or uninsured Missourians and in 2001 outlined a list of policy recommendations to improve the delivery of oral health care in Missouri. These recommendations were published in May 2002, and included:

1. Recruitment/retention of Oral Health Professionals
2. Finance/Reimbursement Improvement and Revision
3. Education and Prevention Expansion
4. Infrastructure Development

In response to the fourth recommendation the Oral Health Network of Missouri was formed in March 2003 with a mission to improve access to and reduce disparities in the delivery of oral health clinical and preventive services to all persons regardless of their ability to pay.

The OHNM is a statewide oral health care network whose members provide oral care to medically underserved, uninsured and insured populations at over 24 delivery sites within Missouri's rural and urban communities. The OHNM is a non-profit tax exempt organization that received Bureau of Primary Health Care Integrated Services Development Initiative (ISDI) funding.

The purpose of the Network is to integrate dental clinical and administrative functions at Safety Net Dental Clinics in Missouri to increase their capacity to provide care to underserved patients.

OHNM provides:

• Guidelines for dental program policies, procedures and protocols
• Quality improvement systems including Network-wide chart reviews; and evaluation, and peer review system.
• Oral health professional workforce pipeline
• Oral health education and prevention programming
• Continuing Education Programming

OHNM Members include:

• Grace Hill Neighborhood Health Centers
• People's Health Centers
• Family Care Health Centers of St. Louis
• Swope Health Services
• Myrtle H. Davis Comprehensive Health Center
• Samuel U. Rodgers Community Health Center
• Family Health Center of Boone County
• Jordan Valley Community Health Center
• Cross Trails Medical Center
• Douglas County Public Health Services Group
• Southeast Missouri Health Network
• Northwest Health Services, Inc
• Northeast Missouri Health Council
• Ozark Tri-County Health Care Consortium
• Missouri Highlands Health Care
• Central Ozarks Medical Center
• Southern Missouri Community Health Center

For more information about the Oral Health Network of Missouri, please contact:
Karen Dent
Oral Health Network of Missouri
573-634-4022
kdent@ohnm.org

Oral Health Links:

Missouri Department of Health and Senior Service Oral Health Program: www.dhss.state.mo.us/CommunityHealthInitiatives/OHPUindex.html
Oral Health America: www.oralhealthamerica.org/
Missouri Dental Association: www.modental.org
Missouri Dental Hygienist Association: www.mdha.org
American Dental Association: www.ada.org
National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center: www.mchoralhealth.org
UMKC School of Dentistry: www.umkc.edu/dentistry

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