Governors’ Association to Hold Workshop on Improving Children’s Oral Health

Representatives from eight states will attend a National Governors' Association workshop on oral health policy Dec. 13-15 in Charleston, S.C., Stateline.org reports. The conference, "Policy Academy for State Officials on Improving Oral Health Care for Children," was organized in response to the surgeon general's report on oral health care earlier this year and CDC statistics revealing that "dental decay is a widespread health threat" among children in the United States. The eight states selected to participate in the conference -- Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, Ohio, Oregon, South Carolina and Virginia -- "stand at many points along the spectrum of sophistication," according to conference coordinator Bob Burns of the NGA's Center for Best Practices. Burns explained the project's goal "is to assist states in developing a coordinated plan to improve oral health care for children. We're expecting that (the delegations) will leave the academy with a specific action plan." The NGA's academy expenses are covered by more than $100,000 in grants from the federal Health Resources and Services Administration. A second HRSA-funded academy is scheduled to take place next spring, but participants have not yet been selected (Nagy, Stateline.org, 11/30).