AB 648, as amended, 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 grant 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 require the program to facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services through use of the Virtual Dental Home model by providing grants to, among other things, develop training modules and establish community-based learning collaboratives, as prescribed.begin insert The bill would require the program administrator to evaluate the grant program’s progress toward meeting the objective to expand the virtual dental home model of the community-based delivery of dental care and to post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation, as specified.end insert
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) grant program
4is hereby 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 grant program shall be administered by the dentist
8appointed to the State Department of Public Health, Oral Health
9Unit, by the director pursuant to Section 104755.
10(c) The VDH grant program shall facilitate, coordinate, and
11encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental
12health services through the use of the Virtual Dental Home model
13by providing grants to do all
of the following:
14(1) Develop training modules and Web-based technical
15assistance.
16(2) Establish community-based learning collaboratives.
17(3) Fund essential VDH technology and equipment.
18(4) Develop and fund other services, as determined by the grant
19administrator, as required to meet the requirements of this section.
20(d) The program administrator may seek additional private or
21public funds to expand access to the VDH program.
22(e) The VDH program shall be focused on providing needed
23services in geographic areas of highest need,
as determined by the
24
program administrator.
25(f) The program administrator may grant funds directly to public
26and private educational institutions or nonprofit entities as required
27to meet the requirements of this section.
28(g) The program administrator shall evaluate the grant
29program’s progress toward meeting the objective to expand the
30virtual dental home model of the community-based delivery of
31dental care to residents in geographic areas of highest need. Upon
P3 1completion of the evaluation, the program administrator shall post
2the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation on the State
3Department of Public Health’s Internet Web site.
The sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) is hereby
5appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of
6Public Health for the purposes of the Virtual Dental Home (VDH)
7program established pursuant to Section 104755.5 of the Health
8and Safety Code.
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