141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

285467
Meeting local oral health care needs: Learning from global solutions

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Charla J. Lautar, RDH, PhD , School of Allied Health, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
Elaine T. Jurkowski, MSW, PhD , School of Social Work, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Carbondale, IL
Some people believe that the United States has the best healthcare system in the world, however there are huge health care disparities, including oral health disparities within rural communities. Rural communities are typically considered a special population, and are at a disadvantage for providing access to oral health care due to a variety of structural factors. This presentation will explore how access to care barriers are overcome within rural settings. Global solutions will be utilized as a component of solutions strategy to meet the health care disparities. Within the special population group of rural communities, there are numerous subsets of groups with specific barriers to oral health care. This presentation will also provide a case study to showcase how various healthcare disparities are addressed through health care solutions which have been adapted from global strategies.

Learning Areas:
Advocacy for health and health education
Diversity and culture
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Program planning
Provision of health care to the public
Public health or related public policy

Learning Objectives:
Describe oral health needs for selective populations in rural communities. List strategies to address these oral health needs. Integrate global solutions to address local rural oral health care needs.

Keywords: Access to Care, Rural Health Care

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have worked within a rural setting for nearly twenty years,and I teach and conduct research as a full professor in this content area. I have published numerous studies specific to this area.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.