Date: May 16, 2008
Contact: Barbara Schoof Conant
barbara.conant@aging.ks.gov
Director of Communications
(785) 296-6154
The U.S. Administration on Aging (AoA) has selected the Kansas Oral Health Services for the Home and Community-Based Services for the Frail Elderly (HCBS-FE) waiver population as one of its 2008 Older Americans Month Program Champions.
The 2008 Program Champions highlight programs and initiatives in states and communities that demonstrate the principles of the Administration on Aging’s efforts to modernize community-based long-term care and provide greater assurance that older people in the U.S. will maintain their independence in the community longer than ever before.
“We were very happy that we could begin offering oral health services to seniors last fall and now to see our program recognized as a Program Champion,” Secretary of Aging Kathy Greenlee said. With this new provision, low-income seniors who qualify for HCBS-FE services can receive dental care paid for by Medicaid.
“Our current goal is to get dentists committed to the program,” she said. KDOA is working with Oral Health Kansas, Kansas Dental Association and other public and private organizations to get word out about this new opportunity to provide oral health care, including dentures, to seniors.
There is no fee for dentists to participate in the program, but they do need to enroll as a provider. Seniors who want to participate should contact their Area Agency on Aging, which determines the eligibility for the HCBS-FE waiver.
As a Program Champion, the Kansas program will be featured along with other Program Champions on the AoA website (www.aoa.gov) through July 2008. A new one is named each business day during Older Americans Month.
According to AoA, the cited programs demonstrate streamlined access to information and services, evidence-based prevention and wellness projects, and consumer-directed service programs that help seniors avoid unnecessary placement in nursing home facilities. They also highlight innovative programs that assist older people before, during and after natural or man-made disasters.
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