NACHC and NNOHA Announce Strategic Partnership to Advance Integration of Comprehensive Oral Health Services in Primary Care

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Alexandra Walker 718-938-2820

Bethesda, MD-The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) and the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA) today announced a strategic partnership aimed at advancing the integration of comprehensive oral health services within Community Health Centers (CHCs). Together, NACHC and NNOHA seek to expand access to oral health for all and support CHCs in delivering patient-centered, team-based care that includes oral health.

NACHC represents America's 1,512 CHCs, which are marking their 60^th year of delivering affordable, comprehensive, and effective primary care to communities. Today, CHCs provide care to at least 34 million and up to 52 million patients nationwide. They serve up to 1 in 7 people across the nation, including up to1 in 3 in rural America, with a 330,000-strong workforce, serving as the largest primary care system in the United States.

NNOHA is the nation's premier organization dedicated to promoting high quality, accessible, oral health care access for underserved populations by encouraging dental programs in CHCs. CHCs are the largest system of integrated dental care in the nation, serving 7 million patients and providing 16 million dental visits in 2024 through a forward-thinking network of 22,000 oral health professionals.

"As experts in comprehensive, integrated health care, CHCs are leading the way in multi-disciplinary provider collaborations that improve patient health outcomes and deliver exceptional value," said Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President and CEO of NACHC. "This partnership is a significant step toward helping CHCs meet the growing demand for oral health care. Through science, education, practice, and policy, NACHC and NNOHA will advance integrated oral health services in CHC settings."

"Oral health care is an essential component of overall health and well-being, and CHCs offer the preeminent model of integrated dental care delivery in our country," said Cheryl Parker, Executive Director of NNOHA. "Through this collaboration with NACHC, we seek to expand access to high-quality, affordable care, recognizing oral health as essential to health and the ability for individuals and communities to thrive."

The NACHC-NNOHA partnership includes the following efforts to promote oral and primary care integration at CHCs.

Science: Expanding on NNOHA's existing dental dashboard by co-developing additional integration and oral health quality measures. Jointly developing and delivering a survey to CHC medical and dental providers and leaders on Medical-Dental Integration best practices and challenges for growth.

Education: Cross-promoting learning opportunities for the oral health workforce and developing tailored CHC C-Suite and staff trainings and education materials.

Practice: Amplifying the exchange of best practices for oral health and primary care integration and disseminating co-created resources through the growth of online communities of oral health advocates and practitioners. Advancing the CHC movement oral health strategy on NACHC's Oral Health Committee.

Policy: Conducting joint advocacy and Hill Days for adult Medicaid and Medicare dental benefits and funding and policies to support the CHC oral health workforce.

This partnership reflects NACHC and NNOHA's shared belief that coordinated, whole-person care is critical to improving health outcomes and strengthening communities nationwide.

About the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC)

NACHC's mission is to champion Community Health Centers delivering affordable, effective, comprehensive primary care that is community-driven and improves health for all. For more information, visit https://www.nachc.org.

About the National Network for Oral Health Access (NNOHA)

NNOHA's mission is to improve the oral health of underserved populations and contribute to overall health through leadership, advocacy, and support to oral health providers in safety-net systems. For more information, visit nnoha.org.