We Did it! Dental Therapy Authorized in Community Health Centers Across Washington
On April 11, Washington state lawmakers passed House Bill 1678 and authorized the expansion of dental therapy into community-based health care settings across our state. The members of the Washington Dental Access Campaign (WDAC) have been working tirelessly on this legislation for over a decade and we are thrilled to see this big step forward.
“This is the culmination of a significant amount of hard work by our partners, advocates, oral health professionals, and legislative supporters,” said Marcy Bowers, executive director of Statewide Poverty Action Network and leader of WDAC. “Representative Marcus Riccelli was a very strong champion for this bill and was instrumental in shepherding it through the legislative process while staying true to our core values. I am very excited to see dental therapy start to open up access to care in communities where it is needed most.”
House Bill 1678 will add dental therapists to the oral health care team at community health centers, expanding dentists' and health clinics' capacity to see more patients, especially those who struggle to afford oral health care. Dental therapy can also lower barriers to entry into the oral health care profession and increase representation of people who have historically been underrepresented in the field.
Sarah Chagnon, Licensed Dental Therapist for the Swinomish Dental Clinic with a patient.
As Dr. Rachael Hogan, Director of the Swinomish Dental Clinic points out “Today, 70% of Swinomish dental providers are Native American. Compare that to the less than 1% of native dental providers nationwide. This is just one example of how dental therapy models increase representation of underserved and underseen communities. We are a dental home to our patients where they have ownership of their treatment and we are accountable to them to provide only the best care.”
Dental therapy has been authorized on Tribal lands in Washington since 2017 and the Swinomish Dental Clinic has partnered with Skagit Valley College to run the first Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) accredited program for dental therapy in our state. Sarah Chagnon, Licensed Dental Therapist for the Swinomish Dental Clinic is hopeful that the passage of this bill will increase access to care and encourage more people to join the profession: “This bill means healing and peace. It is a big step in creating oral health equity in our own and surrounding communities. Having a dental therapist opens the door to more care. Oral health is overall health; everyone deserves a happy and healthy smile. It is a massive day of celebration for us because we’ve worked so hard to bring advocacy to these efforts. It is a culmination of all the hard work of many amazing people and organizations. Like all new paths being forged, there will be bumps along the way, but finally, we made it, and it’s the best feeling ever! I love what I do and hope to inspire future dental therapists.”
We look forward to seeing the Governor sign this bill at the end of this year’s legislative session and will be closely monitoring its implementation. For now, it’s time to celebrate!