After many years of advocacy from the WA Dental Access Campaign, in which NoHLA participates, a bill expanding access to oral health care by allowing dental therapists to practice at Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs), ESHB 1678, finally passed the Legislature! During the Senate floor debate, Senators Annette Cleveland (D), Liz Lovelett (D), and Ann Rivers (R) spoke passionately about how oral health is pivotal to overall health. Dental access has been a huge problem in Washington, and this bill will improve access for the estimated one million people who get health care from FQHCs in Washington state, including many Apple Health members. While the bill only allows dental therapists to practice in certain locations, it’s a step on the road to better dental access for all.

With routine dental appointments at FQHCs now scheduled nine months out, Senator Rivers spoke about why dental health has been her priority since she got into the Senate (excerpted from her comments):

I come from a very, very humble background. I didn’t see a dentist until I was well on. I had no smile, because my mouth needed so much work that I wouldn’t speak, I wouldn’t socialize, and I was very shy. My mom found a charity organization to take on myself and my four siblings, because there wasn’t a dentist in town who would lend us a hand. We didn’t have Medicaid back then, and I’m not sure my mom would have accepted it if she were able to engage. 

What a difference a smile makes. A smile means a job. A smile means a social circle. A smile means positive engagement. And that is what my mom gave to me. My priority since I got into the Senate has been dental health. I know how much it has meant in my own life and in my own success. And I want that for all of the people in our state. This bill is a step to that. When we can get children into early dental care, it’s something that they carry forward and can determine their success in this life. 

The floor debate recording is here, Senator Rivers comments start at 40:14; Senator LLP at 38:40; and Senator Cleveland at 28:00.