SUNSET PARK HEALTH COUNCIL INC

DENTISTRY: FHC OPERATES ONE OF THE LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE DENTAL PROGRAMS OF ANY COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER IN THE COUNTRY. SEVEN OF FHC'S HEALTH CENTER SITES INCLUDE COMPREHENSIVE DENTAL CLINICS, OPERATING A TOTAL OF FORTY+ DENTAL OPERATORIES. IN 2024 TOTAL, FHC'S 56.01 DENTISTS AND 10.54 DENTAL HYGIENISTS PROVIDED GENERAL DENTISTRY AND SPECIALTY CARE TO 43,451 PATIENTS IN 135,310 VISITS IN 2024. THE RANGE OF SERVICES PROVIDED BY FHC'S DEPARTMENT OF DENTAL MEDICINE IS EXTENSIVE. DENTAL ANESTHESIOLOGISTS, FOR EXAMPLE TREAT SELECT PATIENTS UNDER CONSCIOUS SEDATION IN THE DENTAL CLINIC. CANDIDATES FOR SUCH CARE RANGE FROM CHILDREN WITH HANDICAPPING CONDITIONS, ANXIETY, PATIENTS WITH BEHAVIORAL MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS, AND REFERRALS FROM COMMUNITY AGENCIES FOR SPECIAL CARE PATIENTS. IN CONJUNCTION WITH THE SCHOOL HEALTH PROGRAM AND HEAD START PROGRAMS, DENTAL STAFF VISITS THE SCHOOLS TO IDENTIFY CHILDREN WITH DENTAL NEEDS. CHILDREN WHO DO NOT HAVE A DENTIST ARE OFFERED TREATMENT AT FHC FACILITIES. PATIENTS WHO CANNOT BE TREATED IN THE USUAL OUTPATIENT SETTING ARE CARED FOR ON AN INPATIENT/AMBULATORY SURGERY BASIS BY DENTAL ATTENDINGS THAT HAVE ADMITTING PRIVILEGES AT NYU LANGONE HOSPITALS CENTER (BROOKLYN CAMPUS). THE FHC DEPARTMENT OF DENTAL MEDICINE, IN PARTNERSHIP WITH NYU LANGONE HOSPITALS CENTER, IS THE EDUCATIONAL SPONSOR OF SEVEN AMERICAN DENTAL ASSOCIATION COMMISSION ON DENTAL ACCREDITATION ACCREDITED DENTAL RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAMS. FOR THREE DECADES, FHC HAS FORGED PARTNERSHIPS WITH CHCS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY AS A STRATEGY TO INCREASE ACCESS TO CARE BY PLACEMENT OF FULL-TIME RESIDENTS IN EXTRAMURAL PRACTICE SETTINGS FOR ONE OR TWO YEARS OF ADVANCED CLINICAL TRAINING. THIS IS CONSISTENT WITH THE MISSION OF FHC IN ITS ROLE AS AN INSTITUTION WITHOUT WALLS, WHICH PROVIDES A MEANS OF INCREASING ACCESS AND ASSURING EQUITY IN ORAL HEALTH CARE FOR COMMUNITY RESIDENTS AND THE UNDERSERVED. OVER A YEAR OF TRAINING, A GENERAL DENTISTRY RESIDENT WILL PROVIDE APPROXIMATELY 1,500 PATIENT VISITS. COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTERS (CHC) AND INDIAN HEALTH SERVICES (IHS) THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY HAVE SEARCHED FOR RELIEF FROM CHRONIC DENTAL WORKFORCE SHORTAGES OCCURRING IN URBAN AND RURAL GEOGRAPHIC AREAS. THESE HAVE BEEN A RESOURCE FOR AMELIORATING WORKFORCE SHORTAGES IN CHCS WHO HAVE DEVELOPED A SERVICE-LEARNING ENVIRONMENT WITHIN THE DENTAL CENTER AND OFFERED THE RESIDENTS ALTERNATIVE DENTAL PRACTICE AND CAREER PATHWAYS. LONG TERM DATA OF WHERE FHC GRADUATES CURRENTLY PRACTICE INDICATE THAT CLOSE TO 30% REMAIN IN PRACTICES CARING FOR UNDERSERVED AND VULNERABLE POPULATIONS. FHC, AT ITS BROOKLYN SITES, ACCOUNTS FOR OVER 135,000 VISITS ANNUALLY AND WELL OVER 650,000 VISITS AT ITS EXTRAMURAL TRAINING PARTNERSHIPS. THESE VISITS ARE TO THE MOST VULNERABLE IN THE COUNTRY AND THOSE WITH LEAST ACCESS TO CARE. THE FHC PROGRAM ALONE IS A SIGNIFICANT RESOURCE THAT SERVES TO MAINTAIN AND GROW THE ORAL HEALTH SAFETY NET OF THE NATION. THE FHC DEPARTMENT OF DENTAL MEDICINE HAS A LONG HISTORY OF TRAINING DENTAL RESIDENTS. THE DEPARTMENT HAS PILOTED THE USE OF DISTANCE LEARNING TECHNOLOGY IN ITS RESIDENCY TRAINING, LINKING PRIMARY CARE AND EXTRAMURAL TRAINING SITES IN SEVERAL STATES LISTED BELOW. THE PROGRAM ENABLES QUALIFIED DENTISTS TO ALLAY WORKFORCE SHORTAGES IN SOME OF THE NATION'S MOST ISOLATED COMMUNITIES, WHILE RECEIVING ADVANCED DIDACTIC TRAINING OF THE HIGHEST QUALITY VIA LIVE VIDEO TELECONFERENCING. THE GENERAL PRACTICE RESIDENCY BEGAN IN 1974, THE ADVANCED EDUCATION IN GENERAL DENTISTRY (AEGD) IN 1988, THE ADVANCED SPECIALTY EDUCATION IN PEDIATRIC DENTISTRY IN 1994, THE ADVANCED SPECIALTY EDUCATION IN ENDODONTICS IN 2004, DENTAL ANESTHESIOLOGY IN 2008, ADVANCED SPECIALTY EDUCATION IN PERIODONTICS IN 2012, AND OROFACIAL PAIN IN 2012, DENTALPUBLIC HEALTH IN 2014 AND ORTHODONTICS IN 2015. THE PROGRAMS HAVE GROWN FROM 2 RESIDENTS IN BROOKLYN TO 400+ RESIDENTS ASSIGNED TO CHC AND IHS SERVICE UNITS THROUGHOUT THE UNITED STATES. CURRENTLY, THE GEOGRAPHIC AREAS OF CLINICAL TRAINING SITES INCLUDE: ALASKA, ALABAMA, ARIZONA, CALIFORNIA, COLORADO, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, HAWAII, KENTUCKY, MAINE, MARYLAND, MASSACHUSETTS, MICHIGAN, MISSOURI, MONTANA, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, METROPOLITAN NEW YORK CITY, UPSTATE NEW YORK, NORTH CAROLINA, OHIO, PUERTO RICO, RHODE ISLAND, TENNESSEE, TEXAS, UTAH, AND WASHINGTON. ALL TRAINING SITES FOR RESIDENTS ARE LOCATED IN HEALTH PROFESSIONS SHORTAGE AREAS.