SACRAMENTO, CA (June 01, 2015) — Today, the California State Assembly passed legislation that would invest in upfront costs to expand the Virtual Dental Home across the state. The bill, AB 648, passed out of the Assembly without opposition on a vote count of 72-0 and now heads to the Senate.
Jenny Kattlove, Senior Director of Programs at The Children’s Partnership released the following statement in response:
“Today’s vote puts us one step closer to expanding the Virtual Dental Home program—a proven and cost-effective system that uses the latest technology to provide dental care to California’s most vulnerable children and adults in community settings, such as schools and Head Start sites. The VDH has the potential to bring dental care to hundreds of thousands of children who currently go without care. However, without an investment in training, equipment, technical assistance, and other support, providers and communities will not have the resources they need to get started, and the program will not be able to create enough critical mass to spread statewide and be integrated into California’s dental delivery system.
“This innovative solution comes at a significant time. According to a recent state audit, less than half of kids enrolled in Medi-Cal in 2013 had a dental visit the previous year. The Virtual Dental Home will help us reverse our children’s dental care crisis. In the first three years of implementation, it will bring care to 20 communities across the state and benefit approximately 20,000 children and adults.
“The Children’s Partnership will now work to ensure the Senate and Governor support this legislation so that the Virtual Dental Home becomes a sustainable model implemented throughout California.”
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