Agenda - 06-26-2007-4g - Laserfiche WebLink

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ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF COMMISSIONERS ACTION AGENDA ITEM ABSTRACT Meeting Date: June 26, 2007 Action Agenda Item No. ~-~-- - SUBJECT: Contract with UNC School of Dentistry and Health Department for Services of a Dentist DEPARTMENT: Health PUBLIC HEARING: (Y/N) No ATTACHMENT(S): INFORMATION CONTACT: Contract Rosemary Summers, 245-2411 PURPOSE: To consider approving a contract for the provision of dental clinical services for the Health Department by a UNC School of Dentistry faculty member. BACKGROUND: The Health Department's clinical dental program began in 1980 through a grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The UNC School of Dentistry has been an integral part of the provision of services to Orange County residents through the Health Department. The model that was gradually adopted had a number of different part-time faculty members who provided services at the Health Department. Over time, this resulted in high turnover of dentists as there was no individual commitment to the clinics or the patients. When a dentist left, often clinics were cancelled due to the lack of a replacement. Continuity of care for the patients was affected by this rapid turnover of itinerant dentists. The Board of Commissioners, upon recommendation of the Board of Health, approved a .8 FTE dentist position in June of 2003. Recruitment of a dentist has been difficult because of the competitive private practice salaries of dentists. The last dentist that was an employee of the Health Department (2005-2006), Dr. Stephanie Rodriguez, returned to Texas (her home state), after one year of service with the Health Department. Subsequently, the Department was unable to recruit a dentist, and for 2006-2007, contracted with the UNC Dental School for a Visiting Clinical Professor, and has received for one year the services of a dentist that completed residency training in the spring of 2006. That commitment was for one year and the dentist is matriculating in the fall into an Oral Surgery Program in another state. The Health Department, with the assistance of the Personnel Department, began re-recruitment for this position in January, and tendered an offer to a dentist from Michigan who accepted and subsequently rescinded his acceptance due to personal circumstances. Re-recruitment has yielded a candidate that would like to maintain state retirement benefit options. The School of Dentistry has indicated a willingness to create a position in the School of Dentistry that would fulfill the County's needs for a stable dental presence and contract with the County to fill this