1. Eastern Shore Rural Health System
Dental Program:
Partnering with
Accomac County Public Schools,
Eastern Shore of Virginia
Dr. Noel Root, Dental Director
Eastern Shore Rural Health System, Inc.
December 8, 2011

2. Brief History
• 16 years of providing dental care for children in
Accomack County Public Schools (ACPS)
• 1997, Awarded:”Models That Work” by Marilyn
Gaston, MD, Assistant Surgeon General
• Ongoing resource development: Virginia Health
Care Foundation, HRSA & ACPS

3. Features of Current Program
• Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with ACPS to
provide full dental services at facilities adjacent
to 2 elementary schools.
• Both dental sites are open 5 days a week ,year
round.
• Able to bring children from class for diagnostic,
preventive and treatment procedures.
• Allows for improved access to care for
elementary students during the school day.

4. Features of Current Program
• Services are available to patients ages of 2-18
from other schools at our after school program.
• Most dental insurances are accepted including
Virginia Medicaid. A sliding fee schedule is
available for uninsured patients.
• MOAs with Headstart and Migrant Headstart
programs allow increased access to our
preschool children by providing transportation.
• A summer program is at the schools through
parks and recreation and provides opportunities
to treat the Hispanic children that attend.

5. Achievements:2005-2010
• Increased patient visits at both sites from 3,795 to 5,843
per year
• Increased number of patients from 1689 to 2104
• The addition of a part time pediatric dentist increased
our ability to treat children with more complex problems
as well as improving our referral network for those
children requiring sedation.
• Implemented a recall system that helps to insure that
most established patients are seen for follow-up
preventive care and patient education twice a year.

6. Current Challenges
• Reduced reimbursement from Virginia Medicaid
affects revenue significantly
• School Activities (benchmark testing, SOL’s) and
school closings are somewhat unpredictable and
can drastically reduce productivity.
• Limited access to children attending other
schools. Students moving from elementary
school to middle school often get lost from our
recall system due to reduced convenience and
lack of reinforcement.

7. Possible solutions to challenges
• Developing an outreach program using new
technology in a portable format to address the
diagnostic and preventive needs of students
(pre-school to high school) at multiple school
locations.
• Implement electronic dental record enabling us
to provide referral for follow-up treatment and
continuity of care for patients regardless of
where treatment planning is done.
• New Atlantic Center will have an Oral Health
wing with designed emphasis on treating
younger patients. Location more convenient to
high density of underserved population.

8. Our Vision:
• Eastern Shore Rural Health System shall
be the provider of choice for primary and
preventive services offering
comprehensive care of exceptional quality
for all people on the Eastern Shore of
Virginia.