Dental Champions - Oral Health Kansas

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Dental Champions - Oral Health Kansas

Dental Champions is a leadership program developed by Oral Health Kansas.

The program offers participants leadership and personal development training as well as other training focused on planning and organizational skills and up-to-date information about the oral health scene in Kansas and the nation.

03/07/2026

Pathways to Oral Health Project staff, Monica Turner, celebrated her one-year anniversary as Project Manager for Pathways on February 17. She has been a stellar addition to our staff, keeping us in line with the work plan, monitoring our timeliness and goals, as well as communicating with our Pathways partners. We would not have been able to keep the project aligned if it wasn’t for her guiding us all the way. Thank you, Monica!

03/06/2026

It's Employee Appreciation Day. A day to recognize all the OHK staff.
MaryAnne- she may be in another state but she understands Kansas dynamics. But can she name the state bird?
Monica - keeps us in check. Literally. She makes sure we're following our work plan and lets us know when we need to step up our game.
Tanya - head honcho, the big enchilada. She leads staff and the organization to achieve many big wins!
Sonia - mother hen and reminds everyone when bad weather is coming up.
Kathy - years of expertise that we learn from her every day, including how to make homemade ice cream.
Abby - she will get you excited and energized about our work because she believes in it so much!

03/06/2026

Last week the Kansas House of Representatives approved a budget that includes $6 million in state funds in the KDHE budget for a Medicaid dental rate increase. This is about half of what we hoped for, but it remains really good news. The incremental approach to Medicaid dental funding growing a little more each year takes time, but it has proven to be successful in securing new funding every year for the last four years. We are happy with the $6 million.

The Kansas Senate passed their budget yesterday, but it did not include the rate increase funding. This means the decision about whether to approve the $6 million for the Medicaid dental rate increase will be worked out in a conference committee between the House and Senate.

The Conference Committee could begin meeting as early as this Monday, March 9.

Senators need to hear from you about the importance of finishing the job on the Medicaid dental rate increase. The negotiations will be tough, so we need your help getting the rate increase over the finish line.

1. Contact your State Senator to explain why this rate increase is so important and why it will save the state money if more dental offices are able to provide preventive and restorative care for people. Be sure to ask your Senator to let the Budget Conference Committee (Chairman Billinger, Vice Chairman Kloos, and Ranking Member Pettey) know it is important to keep the Medicaid dental rate increase funding in the budget.

Find your State Senator by entering your home address on this website. https://pluralpolicy.com/open/

2. Share this alert with as many of your colleagues as you can. We need to ensure the Conference Committee members know how many Kansans, providers, and small business owners are counting on them to finish the job of strengthening the Medicaid dental provider network.

Resources:
• Here are some talking points. This is meant to give you a lot of background on the issues around the rate increase. Feel free to pick and choose what you may want include in your own message to legislators. https://tinyurl.com/2jndcsz3

• Additional information is available on our Medicaid dental rate increase advocacy website, including a list of the organizations and individuals who have joined the advocacy coalition. https://oralhealthkansas.org/MedicaidDentalRates.html

• MaryAnne Lynch Small (mlynchsmall@oralhealthkansas.org) and I are happy to answer any questions.

Thank you for your partnership and your advocacy. We have a big job to do, and together we can get it done!

03/05/2026

This week Oral Health Kansas provided testimony on two bills before the Kansas Legislature. HB 2783 would increase the tax on e-cigarettes from 5 cents to 15 cents, and the revenue would be deposited into the Children’s Initiative Fund. The Fund was created from the To***co Master Settlement Agreement in 1999 and is a core funding source for Kansas early childhood, health, and child welfare programs. Nearly half of high school students have used e-cigarettes, and that number has steadily risen over the past several years. Raising the tax on e-cigarettes would not only deter use among Kansas youth but also raise much needed revenue for the Children’s Initiative Fund.

We also provided testimony in support of SB 271, which fixes an error in how eligibility for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) is calculated. The current law defines CHIP eligibility as 250% of the 2008 federal poverty level, and this bill would change that to the current federal poverty level. Oral Health Kansas supports this change that would ensure all Kansas children who are eligible for CHIP are able to access that health insurance program.

You can find our testimony here
https://www.oralhealthkansas.org/Testimony.html

03/04/2026

Over the weekend we lost an advocate who brought a lot of joy to everyone around him. Jacob Perron and his mom Kathy Keck have been long-time advocates for disabilities services and dental care at the Kansas Statehouse. Three years ago our partners at Families USA featured their advocacy story in a video demonstrating the power of consumer and family advocacy in oral health. Their video, “Why we need to fill gaps in Medicaid dental coverage,” premiered at Families USA’s conference in Washington, and Jacob and Kathy were there to share their story. Oral Health Kansas enjoyed working with and learning from Jacob. His infectious smile and joy will be missed. We send our deepest sympathies to Jacob’s family.

03/02/2026

Last August, Oral Health Kansas (OHK) began a series of free webinars titled “New Era, New Opportunities” Making Medicaid Work for You”. The first session, New Rates, Better Coverage, shared information about the KanCare (Medicaid) program and the improvements in services in the Medicaid program and the increases in dental rates as well as how OHK can help providers with their questions regarding Medicaid and how to become a Medicaid provider. The webinar is only 30 minutes, so check it out!
https://youtu.be/wcaC8lgaPfM

Visit the Pathways to the Oral Health website to find a list of free webinars.
https://pathwaystooralhealth.org/resources-list/webinar/

03/01/2026

Congratulations to Christina Noland, Designer and Client Partner for Compass Marketing and Advertising Partners for winning the Volunteer of the Year Award during the American Advertising Awards. She is a valuable member of our Pathways to Oral Health team who created the Pathways marketing brand, and she is a dedicated volunteer in the community. Christina deserves this award for the countless hours she puts into her work, always with a smile on her face and a Squishmallow by her side!

02/28/2026

As we wrap up Children’s Dental Health Month, find fun ways to incorporate oral health into time spent with your children. Reading a book about oral health is a fun way to teach good dental habits. Reading a book about brushing, flossing, and visiting the dentist helps children learn good habits in a fun and friendly way. Stories make oral health less scary and show kids that taking care of their teeth can be easy and even fun!

OHK board member, Davette McCoy, is the author of Goodnight Teeth: A Nighttime Brush Book. The book is about establishing a nighttime routine and also includes a toothbrushing chart! There are many books about visiting the dentist, toothbrushing, drinking water and eating healthy. Visit your local library or bookstore to find what works for your family.
https://www.amazon.com/Goodnight-Teeth-Nighttime-Brush-Book/dp/B09RV17MCL

02/27/2026

OHK staff attended the Kansas Division for Early Childhood conference and shared information about the Pathways to Oral Health Project. We met with so many people. It was amazing!

02/27/2026

Last week marked the halfway point for the Kansas Legislative Session. At this point most policy issues that will move forward this year have passed one chamber and are now under consideration in the other chamber.

The Medicaid dental rate increase is our top priority this year, and at Turn Around, it is still in play. The House Appropriations Committee included $6 million in State General Funds for the dental rate increase in their budget for the next fiscal year. The full House of Representatives is voting on the budget bill today, so we are hopeful the funding remains in the House budget. The funding is not in the Senate version of the budget, but if it remains the House version, we will be able to work with members of a Budget Conference Committee to try to keep the money. We will keep you informed about the next steps and when we may need additional help with advocacy.

Another issue we have been following for the past several years is a bill that would fix an error in how eligibility is calculated for the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). Our partners at Kansas Action for Children have been leading the advocacy to fix the error for several years, and it looks like it may be permanently fixed this year. SB 271 has passed the Senate. A similar bill has passed the House, so it may be easy for both chambers to agree on a final bill in the next few weeks. Oral Health Kansas has provided testimony in favor of this bill several times, and we are hopeful that it will be resolved this year.

Learn about SB 271 here https://tinyurl.com/4ve27k4m

02/26/2026

This is the last week of the month of February and Black History Month. George F. Grant, DDS was a dentist and Harvard Professor who was introduced to the field of dentistry at age 15 when he was hired to run errands for a local dentist and soon became his laboratory assistant. Grant learned the basics of dental practice for five years and in 1867, at the age of 21, he moved to Boston where he was hired at Harvard Dental School as a laboratory assistant and later attended the school. In 1870, he graduated with distinction and was subsequently hired as an assistant in the Department of Mechanical Dentistry in 1871. In 1884, he was elevated to the post of instructor in Treatment for Cleft Palate and Cognate Diseases, a faculty appointment, which made Grant the first Black professor at Harvard University and the nation’s first Black faculty member in dental education. He went on to open his own practice before he died at the age of 64.

Fun fact about Dr. George F. Grant! His favorite hobby was golf, and he was the inventor of the wooden golf tee.

02/25/2026

On Saturday, February 21, during the American Advertising Awards in Topeka, Pathways to Oral Health Project partners, Oral Health Kansas, Compass Marketing and Advertising Partners, and Jeff Carson were awarded the Mosaic Award for the Confidence in Every Smile Video Series. The Mosaic Award honors companies and individuals who display their commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion through creative work, advocacy, and company-wide initiatives.

The Confidence in Every Smile Video Series includes seven videos designed to make brushing and flossing easier for people living with physical or intellectual disabilities. Each video shares practical tips, creative tools, and encouragement so everyone can care for their teeth with confidence. From handling toothbrushes and toothpaste, to managing gagging or flossing with limited mobility, to brushing comfortably when you can’t stand at the sink, these videos help you discover what works best for you.

This award reflects a shared effort between partners. We want to give a special thanks to:

• Oral Health Kansas staff member and Dental Program Director, Kathy Hunt, for the years of brainstorming and planning to make the video series a reality!
• Pathways to Oral Health Project partners for coordinating the video production and scripts.
• Our videographer Jeff Carson for shooting, producing, and editing the video series.
• Compass Marketing and Advertising for their expertise, many hours of edits and clips as well as their patience with us as we made many, many changes!
• Kansas Neurological Institute and TARC for allowing their staff and individuals to serve as actors for the videos. They are the real MVPs!

You can watch the video series here!
https://pathwaystooralhealth.org/individuals/

Address

PO Box 4567
Topeka, KS
66604

Telephone

+17852356069

Website

http://ksdentalchampions.org/

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