CDA Cares: The Power of Community Action

When adult dental benefits were eliminated in 2009 for 3 million Medicaid-eligible adults under the Medi-Cal Dental Program (California’s Medicaid program), the California Dental Association Foundation created CDA Cares. This large scale, community-based, pop-up dental clinic was designed to meet th...

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Main Authors: Huong Le, Ariane Terlet
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Taylor & Francis Group 2024-12-01
Series:Journal of the California Dental Association
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19424396.2023.2295022
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author Huong Le
Ariane Terlet
author_facet Huong Le
Ariane Terlet
author_sort Huong Le
collection DOAJ
description When adult dental benefits were eliminated in 2009 for 3 million Medicaid-eligible adults under the Medi-Cal Dental Program (California’s Medicaid program), the California Dental Association Foundation created CDA Cares. This large scale, community-based, pop-up dental clinic was designed to meet the immediate emergent and nonemergent dental needs of some of California’s most vulnerable residents. Hundreds of volunteers participated in the two-day free care events, including dental professionals, dental students, oral health advocates, community members and CDA staff. Clinics were held around the state in large public venues, such as convention centers and fairgrounds, enabling volunteer dentists to alleviate dental pain and infection for thousands of people. Through CDA’s dedicated outreach to local policymakers and state legislators, the event also provided essential education on the importance of oral health and the overwhelming need for care in our state. These efforts successfully influenced the return of Medi-Cal dental benefits for California’s low-income adults. CDA Cares powerfully proved how working together could produce results that otherwise would not have been achieved by individual efforts alone.
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spelling doaj-art-03269ee4dbfe4115a9465668c510dbff2025-08-20T02:32:23ZengTaylor & Francis GroupJournal of the California Dental Association1942-43962024-12-0152110.1080/19424396.2023.2295022CDA Cares: The Power of Community ActionHuong Le0Ariane Terlet1Chief Dental Officer, Asian Health Services, Oakland, CA USAChief Dental Officer, La Clinica de la Raza, Private Practice Berkeley, Oakland, CA, USAWhen adult dental benefits were eliminated in 2009 for 3 million Medicaid-eligible adults under the Medi-Cal Dental Program (California’s Medicaid program), the California Dental Association Foundation created CDA Cares. This large scale, community-based, pop-up dental clinic was designed to meet the immediate emergent and nonemergent dental needs of some of California’s most vulnerable residents. Hundreds of volunteers participated in the two-day free care events, including dental professionals, dental students, oral health advocates, community members and CDA staff. Clinics were held around the state in large public venues, such as convention centers and fairgrounds, enabling volunteer dentists to alleviate dental pain and infection for thousands of people. Through CDA’s dedicated outreach to local policymakers and state legislators, the event also provided essential education on the importance of oral health and the overwhelming need for care in our state. These efforts successfully influenced the return of Medi-Cal dental benefits for California’s low-income adults. CDA Cares powerfully proved how working together could produce results that otherwise would not have been achieved by individual efforts alone.https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19424396.2023.2295022Access to careoral healthsystemic healthsystem of care
spellingShingle Huong Le
Ariane Terlet
CDA Cares: The Power of Community Action
Journal of the California Dental Association
Access to care
oral health
systemic health
system of care
title CDA Cares: The Power of Community Action
title_full CDA Cares: The Power of Community Action
title_fullStr CDA Cares: The Power of Community Action
title_full_unstemmed CDA Cares: The Power of Community Action
title_short CDA Cares: The Power of Community Action
title_sort cda cares the power of community action
topic Access to care
oral health
systemic health
system of care
url https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/10.1080/19424396.2023.2295022
work_keys_str_mv AT huongle cdacaresthepowerofcommunityaction
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