American Dental Association And The Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium Issue Joint Statement On Litigation Settlement

The
Alaska Native Tribal Health Consortium (ANTHC) and the American Dental
Association (ADA) issued the following statement today:


"We are pleased to announce that the Alaska Native Tribal Health
Consortium (ANTHC) and the American Dental Association (ADA) have agreed to
settle our legal dispute. With this chapter behind us, we pledge to
cooperatively advance our best efforts toward improving the oral health of
Alaska Natives.



"This settlement is a starting point for a new era of cooperation
between the dental profession and the ANTHC and its affiliated Tribal
health organizations in exploring ways to improve access to dental care in
rural Alaska. The issue that has divided us -- our difference of opinion
concerning the scope of practice of dental health aide therapists -- will
not deter our efforts to advocate for increased resources for dental care
in rural Alaska.



Our cooperative efforts will include:


-- Developing dental residency programs to create a "pipeline" of dentists
who could help alleviate the backlog of care in remote areas;


-- refining existing dental workforce models and developing new ones,
including the ADA- developed community dental health coordinator
(CDHC), to expand the availability of oral health education, prevention and treatment throughout the Alaska Native community;


-- coordinating the placement of volunteer dentists in Tribal communities;


-- and conducting an impartial, longitudinal study to determine the
effectiveness of various workforce models, including the DHAT and CDHC,
in improving access to oral health and oral health care in Tribal
areas.



"In addition, both the ANTHC and the ADA pledge to continue our
vigorous advocacy in Washington to ensure that Congress funds the Indian
Health Service sufficiently to fill the excessive number of vacant dental
positions in its dental programs.



"Finally, the ADA will contribute to the ANTHC Foundation to support
efforts to promote preventive oral health in remote Alaska. ADA and ANTHC
agree that prevention is the key to long-term success in improving oral
health for Alaska Natives."



About the ADA



The not-for-profit ADA is the nation's largest dental association,
representing more than 155,000 dentist members. The premier source of oral
health information, the ADA has advocated for the public's health and
promoted the art and science of dentistry since 1859. The ADA's
state-of-the-art research facilities develop and test dental products and
materials that have advanced the practice of dentistry and made the patient
experience more positive. The ADA Seal of Acceptance long has been a
valuable and respected guide to consumer and professional products. For more information about
the ADA, visit the Association's Web site at ada.



About the ANTHC



The nation's largest tribally managed health services provider, ANTHC
assumed management of statewide health services from the Indian Health
Service in 1997. It operates programs in medical care, water and sanitation
systems, health facilities, information technology, community health
services, and professional recruiting. To provide quality services in the
unique climate and vast distances of Alaska, ANTHC has developed innovative
initiatives and technology that are international models. All Alaska
Natives are both customers and owners of ANTHC through their tribes and
tribal health organizations, which comprise the ANTHC board of directors.
For more information, visit the Consortium's website at
anthc.


American Dental Association

ada