Action for Dental Health Act

Floor Speech

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Mr. SIMPSON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Kentucky for yielding.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support of H.R. 2001, the Action for Dental Health Act.

This bill reauthorizes grants to State and local organizations to address dental workforce needs and improve access to care for patients.

Administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, or HRSA, these grants play a vital role in supporting programs that provide oral healthcare to vulnerable and underserved populations, especially children, seniors, and those living in rural areas.

Since it was first implemented, the Action for Dental Health Act has delivered meaningful results. It has enhanced dental services for hardworking American families, strengthened the dental safety net, and brought disease prevention and education programs directly into communities that have been overlooked for far too long.

It has also increased awareness of the importance of oral health to overall health. This is why this reauthorization is so critical.

Congress still has a lot more work to do, especially with dental workforce shortages and the alarming number of adults and children suffering from untreated dental diseases.

According to the American Dental Association, 9 out of 10 dentists report difficulties in recruiting dental hygienists and assistants, a challenge that is particularly difficult in rural areas. As a result, many dental practices are overwhelmed by trying to see their patients in a timely manner.

As a former dentist in my hometown of Blackfoot, Idaho, I have seen firsthand the value of good oral health and the consequences of neglect. For people who don't have access to dental care, oral health disease is almost 100 percent inevitable. In fact, it is the most common chronic disease affecting children in the United States.

The more dentists can provide patients with an early diagnosis, the better off these patients and our healthcare system will be.

As co-chair of the Congressional Oral Health Caucus, I am in a fortunate position to have the ability to impact the oral health initiatives that deserve to be prioritized.

That is why I thank my colleague from Illinois, Congresswoman Kelly, for her continued leadership on this issue. I was proud to partner with her in 2018 when the Action for Dental Health Act was first passed, and I am pleased to see the House of Representatives working again in a bipartisan fashion to consider this reauthorization.

Mr. Speaker, I look forward to getting this important bill across the finish line and sent to the President's desk, and I urge my colleagues to support this bill.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Source