Departments of Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 2006
Floor Speech
DEPARTMENTS OF LABOR, HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES, AND EDUCATION, AND RELATED AGENCIES APPROPRIATIONS ACT, 2006 -- (Senate - October 26, 2005)
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Ms. COLLINS. Mr. President, 3 years ago, the Senate enacted and the President signed into law the Dental Health Improvement Act as part of the health care safety net amendments of 2002. This was legislation authored by the Senator from Wisconsin, Mr. Feingold, and myself which authorized grants to States to help them develop innovative dental workforce development programs tailored to their specific needs.
I rise today to offer an amendment with my colleague from Wisconsin to provide $5 million for this important program next year to help States improve access to oral health care by strengthening the dental workforce in our Nation's rural and underserved communities.
While oral health in America has improved dramatically over the last 50 years, these improvements have not occurred evenly across all sectors of our population. Particularly, our low-income families have been left out. An estimated 25 million Americans live in areas lacking in adequate dental services. Astoundingly, as many as 11 percent of our Nation's rural population has never been to a dentist.
The situation is exacerbated by the fact that our dental workforce is growing older. More than 20 percent of dentists nationwide will retire in the next decade. The number of dental graduates by 2015 will not be enough to replace these retirees. As a consequence, many States, particularly rural States like mine, are facing a serious shortage of dentists. In Maine, there is one general practice dentist for every 2,300 people in the Portland area. But the numbers drop off dramatically in other parts of our State. In Aroostook County, for example, which is where I am from, there is only 1 dentist for every 5,500 people. And of the 23 practicing dentists in Aroostook County, only 6 are taking on new patients. Moreover, at a time when tooth decay is the most prevalent childhood disease in America, Maine has fewer than 10 specialists in pediatric dentistry, and virtually all of them are located in the southern part of the State.
The Collins-Feingold Dental Health Improvement Act authorized a new State grant program administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration that is designed to improve access to oral health services in rural or underserved areas.
Now, States could use these grants for a variety of programs. For example, they might use the grant for loan forgiveness or repayment programs for dentists practicing in underserved areas. They could also use the grant funds to establish or expand community- or school-based dental clinics or to set up mobile or portable dental facilities.
To assist in their recruitment and retention efforts, States could use the funds for placement and support of dental students, residents, and advanced dentistry trainees. Or they could use the grants for continuing education, for distance-based education, and practice support through teledentistry.
Our amendment is supported by the American Dental Association, the American Dental Education Association, the American Dental Hygienists Association, and other members of the Dental Access Coalition. It is also fully offset.
There is clearly a need to make our oral health care services more accessible in our Nation's rural and underserved communities.
Again, I end my remarks with what I think is a troubling and astonishing statistic; and that is, that 11 percent of rural Americans have never been to the dentist. This is a serious public health challenge, and this modest investment could make a real difference.
I urge all of my colleagues to join Senator Feingold and me in supporting this amendment.
I thank the subcommittee chairman and ranking member for working so closely with us to identify an appropriate offset.
Mr. President, I yield the floor and suggest the absence of a quorum.
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