The Weekly Wednesday Update is our newsletter which we email every Wednesday with oral health, health and policy updates from around the state and nationally.

To view past issues click here.

 

June 11, 2025
Volume 16, Issue 23

 

 

Take Action Now to Protect Medicaid

This week the U.S. Senate is working on their version of the reconciliation budget bill, and several healthcare related issues, including Medicaid, are on the chopping block. It is more important than ever to let Kansas Senators Jerry Moran and Roger Marshall know we do not want to see Kansans’ access to dental care jeopardized.

One of our national partners, Families USA, has been following the potential cuts closely and shared this analysis late last week. While many of the proposed Medicaid cuts relate to Medicaid expansion states, there are still several cuts that could hurt the Kansas Medicaid dental program. These include:

• State provider taxes are frozen at current 2025 levels and no new provider groups can be taxed, reducing states’ flexibility to fund their share of Medicaid, especially in an economic downturn
• Limits on state directed payments that states use to increase reimbursement to rural, safety net, community providers - these limits are slightly higher in non-expansion states but still not flexible enough to necessarily meet need
• Changes to eligibility and enrollment rules that will make it harder/require more proof of income, address, etc.
• Changing Medicaid retroactive coverage from 3 months to 1 month 

All Medicaid funding cuts and new administrative rules ultimately impact the state’s ability to manage the Medicaid dental program, so it is important to preserve the current program to ensure Kansas kids and adults can continue to access the dental care we have fought so hard to secure.

Read Oral Health Kansas’ sign-on letter to the entire Kansas Congressional delegation asking them to prevent cuts to Medicaid.

Take action today to reach out to Kansas Senators Moran and Marshall. They need to hear real stories of real Kansans to understand how major changes in Medicaid will hurt their access to life-saving and life-changing care.

• Email Senator Jerry Moran at this link.
• Email Senator Roger Marshall at this link.
• Or use the Alliance for a Healthy Kansas Senator contact form to send your messages to our Senators.

 

 

Together We Shine at the Special Olympics

On Saturday, Oral Health Kansas was in Wichita sharing resources about Pathways to Oral Health. Project Coordinator, Monica Turner and Dental Program Director, Kathy Hunt, hosted an exhibit table at the Special Olympics Kansas Summer Games in Wichita that attracted approximately 100 athletes, families, and supporters. Families asked good questions and showed interest in how important it is to maintain their family members oral health. The OHK booth featured educational materials and adaptive oral hygiene aids as well as interactive activities like the sugary drink display, healthy snack choices, and a fun photo booth with oral health props.

The event was a great opportunity to promote inclusive oral health in a fun and engaging way!

 

 

My Dental Care Passport' Goes National

The Pathways to Oral Health project is driven by a vision where individuals with disabilities have seamless access to comprehensive dental care, free from barriers. The work of the American Academy of Developmental Medicine and Dentistry (AADMD) aligns with this vision, and OHK staff member, MaryAnne Lynch Small, Medicaid Projects Manager, was delighted to have the opportunity to share 'My Dental Care Passport' with healthcare professional and policy colleagues at their annual conference in Arizona last weekend.

At the conference, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), healthcare leaders from around the country gathered to share research, advocacy, and educational strategies to advance healthcare for individuals with IDD. Learning from advocates who led the charge for the Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and listening to experts share the importance of dedicated education in medical and dental school curriculums was hugely inspiring.

A consistent theme throughout the conference was the need to center the voices of individuals with IDD and collaborate and unify across sectors to create 'one voice'. 'My Dental Care Passport' holds the needs of individuals with IDD and their families and caregivers at its core. This, alongside the Passport’s collaborative development, ease of use, and potential for impact, sparked great interest in our tool from conference attendees across the country and beyond.

My Dental Care Passport is a communication tool people with disabilities can use to share critical information with their dental team. This information goes beyond what is typically found on a medical or dental intake form. It is the information individuals with IDD and their families really want the dental team to know, like how to best communicate, what has worked well in the past, and what sounds, sights, or smells may be challenging. Really all the things that can make or break a dental visit! To learn more about My Dental Care Passport, click here.

 

 

Celebrating Pride Month

June is Pride Month which commemorates the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York and celebrates the LGBTQ community and the fight for equal rights. It’s also a time to educate communities on the inequities people in the LGBTQ community experience. Fear of discrimination can deter LGBTQ people from seeking regular dental check-ups and treatment. Dental practices can create welcoming environments for LGBTQ patients, including non-discriminatory policies and inclusive language or having visible signs of support such as LGBTQ friendly materials or symbols on display. My Dental Care Passport is a useful resources for someone to fill out information about themselves, including gender and preferred pronouns before their dental appointment. An excellent way for dental providers to connect with their patient.

Higher prevalence of smoking, alcohol use, and recreational drug use in some LGBTQ subgroups can lead to oral health issues such as gum disease, tooth decay, and oral cancer. It’s important to provide education on smoking, alcohol or drug use as well as the importance of maintaining their oral health. Allowing open communication for patients to ask questions and be heard can create positive, healthy behaviors.

Addressing oral health in the LGBTQ community requires a multifaceted approach that includes education, access to care, and addressing underlying social determinants of health. By creating inclusive environments and providing tailored care, dental professionals can help reduce oral health disparities and improve overall health outcomes for LGBTQ individuals.

 

 

Upcoming Events

• Course: An Introduction to Value-Based Care in Oral Health: Moving from Volume to Value, 1 CE. Click here for the course information.
• Self paced courses: Providing Oral Health Care to Autistic Individuals and Caring for Individuals with Disabilities: Practical Considerations for Dental Providers.
• Webinar: Pediatric Clinical Care: Practical Insights and Case-Based Discussions, June 17 at 7:00pm CST. Register here.
• Webinar: Medicaid Cuts & Oral Health: What to Expect, June 25 at 2:00pm CST. Register here.
• Webinar: Compassionate Care for LGBTQ+ Communities, June 26 at 6:00pm CST. Register here.
• Community Care Network of Kansas annual conference, September 24-26 at the Marriott Kansas City Overland Park Hotel, in Overland Park, Kansas.
• Save the date! The Conference on Oral Health will be held Friday, November 7 at the KU Edwards Campus. Click here for updates on the conference.

 

 

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We would like to introduce our interns Isha and Augustina! Isha Kothari has been working with us for a few months. Isha has her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from India and is currently working on her Master of Public Health at Kansas State University. Augustina Mensah has her Bachelor of Dental Surgery from Ghana and has recently graduated from Brandeis University with a Master of Science program in Global Health Policy and Management. Both will be helping us with the Pathways to Oral Health Project!

 

 

Sugary Drink Display

We have Adult and Children's Sugary Drink Display's available for reservations. These displays are eye catching at exhibits, schools, library, dental offices, clinics and just about anywhere you see them! We only have a limited amount so please sign up soon if you're interested in reserving one. Click here to learn more about sugary drink display reservations!