AB 648, as introduced, Low. Community-based services: Virtual Dental Home program.
Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the administration of a state oral health program known as the Office of Oral Health for the purposes of, among other things, establishing community dental disease prevention programs for schoolaged children.
This bill would establish the Virtual Dental Home program to expand the virtual dental home model of community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this state who are in greatest need, as prescribed. The bill would authorize the administrator of the program to, among other things, encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services in community clinics and school programs, as prescribed.
The bill would appropriate $4,000,000 to the department for the purposes of this program.
Vote: 2⁄3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Section 104755.5 is added to the Health and
2Safety Code, to read:
(a) The Virtual Dental Home (VDH) program is
4hereby established to expand the virtual dental home model of
5community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this
6state who are in greatest need.
7(b) The administrator of the program shall be the dentist
8appointed by the director pursuant to Section 104755.
9(c) The VDH program shall do all of the following to facilitate
10and expand the delivery of community-based dental health services:
11(1) Facilitate and encourage development and expansion of the
12delivery of dental health services in schools, head start and
13preschool programs, and community clinics as set
forth in Section
141910.5 of the Business and Professions Code.
15(2) Encourage utilization of the teledentistry model described
16in subdivision (b) of Section 14132.725 of the Welfare and
17Institutions Code.
18(3) Develop related training modules.
19(4) Establish community-based learning collaboratives.
20(5) Provide grants to fund essential VDH technology and
21equipment.
22(d) The administrator shall seek to secure funds to expand access
23to the VDH program that can be used along with other private and
24public funding opportunities.
25(e) The VDH program shall be focused on providing needed
26services in geographic areas of highest need, as
determined by the
27director after a thorough assessment, and in consultation with the
28administrator and oral health stakeholders.
The sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) is hereby
30appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of
31Public Health for the purposes of the Virtual Dental Home (VDH)
32program established pursuant to Section 104755.5 of the Health
33and Safety Code.
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