NYU Dentistry to Host Disability and Health Policy Symposium—Nov. 13

NYU College of Dentistry will host its third AHEAD symposium-Achieving Health Equity through Access for All with Disabilities-on Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. The virtual event will gather policymakers, experts, and advocates to discuss improving oral health care for people with disabilities.

Dental care is the most unmet health care need for people with disabilities. Patients and their families often face barriers to seeing a dentist, including insurance coverage and reimbursement policies, a lack of providers with disability-focused training, and dental offices that cannot accommodate people with certain disabilities.

To address this unmet need, NYU Dentistry established the Oral Health Center for People with Disabilities-a specialized, state-of-the-art clinic staffed by a collaborative, compassionate, multidisciplinary team-five years ago. In addition to all NYU dental students learning to care for people with disabilities, the College leads several training and continuing education programs on oral health and disability for dentists, dental hygienists, and other health professionals.

"We're pleased to convene our third AHEAD symposium to reaffirm our commitment to accessible, equitable oral health care for people with disabilities, and to educating dental professionals to care for this population. While we have made strides in these areas, there's much more work to be done," said Charles N. Bertolami, DDS, DMedSc, the Herman Robert Fox Dean of NYU Dentistry.

"People with disabilities and their caregivers still face too many challenges around their oral health-not only at the individual and institutional levels, but at the societal level as well. That's why it is so important to bring policymakers and the disability community together for these important conversations. During this highly polarized time, I think that one thing we can agree on is the need to improve the care for some of our most vulnerable patients," said Barbara Vartanian, director of oral health advocacy and policy initiatives at NYU Dentistry.

The event's speakers include:

• Jim Brett, Chair of the President's Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities, which advises the President and Secretary of Health and Human Services about issues related to people with disabilities; President and CEO of the New England Council
• Congressman Seth Moulton (D-MA 6th District), sponsor of the Healthcare Extension and Accessibility for Developmentally Disabled and Underserved Population (HEADs UP) Act, a bipartisan bill that aims to expand and improve health care services for people with disabilities
• Kim Hill Ridley, New York State's first-ever Chief Disability Officer
• Kate Swenson, parent advocate and author of "Finding Cooper's Voice"

Additional panel discussions will address the importance of integrated care to ensure optimal health outcomes for individuals with special health care needs in addition to highlighting alternative models of support services.

The Nov. 13 event will run from 9 am to noon ET and is open to the public with registration. For a complete schedule of the event and to register for the virtual event, please visit its website at dental.nyu.edu/ahead. A link to the Zoom webinar will be provided after registration. Reporters interested in attending should contact [email protected].

About NYU College of Dentistry

Founded in 1865, New York University College of Dentistry (NYU Dentistry) is the third oldest and the largest dental school in the US, educating nearly 10 percent of the nation's dentists. NYU Dentistry has a significant global reach with a highly diverse student body. Visit dental.nyu.edu for more.