Emerging Trends in Public Health
Sharing Session - 60 Minutes
Kelley Brooks, DDS
Dentist
City of El Paso Department of Public Health
There are several features that make the Rawlings Mobile Dental Unit successful. These features are: (1) serving an underserved and hard-to-reach populations in both rural and urban settings through onsite clinic hours and a dental mobile unit; (2) maintaining a highly-skilled bilingual (English/Spanish) staff that is representative of the TX borderland population served; (3) collaborating with partner organizations and local schools to gain access to the target population; (4) relying on a sliding fee scale and stop-gap grant funds to provide services to persons who cannot afford them; and (5) utilizing a diversified payer mix/fee-for-service model to support the program with third-party insurances and maximize program income.
The Clinic’s Dental Mobile Unit is deployed to schools and other community facilities on pre-scheduled dates throughout the year. The Clinic staff participates in health fairs, career days, and hygiene education throughout the year by partnering area schools and community organizations. The most common dental services provided by the Rawlings Clinic and the Dental Mobile Unit are x-rays, exams, cleanings, extractions, fillings, space maintainers, pulpotomies (baby root canals), root canals, stainless steel crowns, oral hygiene education, and nutritional counseling. The Clinic provides services on a sliding fee scale and accepts private insurance, Medicaid, CHIP, and Title V Dental Services. No one is denied services based on their inability to pay.