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Houston County Public Health gets $10,000 Delta Dental grant to expand rural dental access pilot
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Summary
The board accepted a $10,000 Delta Dental grant to support a pilot dental access program that brings mobile and children's dental services to Houston County; staff said the program has helped increase utilization among Medical Assistance clients and will continue through 2026 with expanded case coordination.
The Houston County Board voted Tuesday to accept a $10,000 grant from Delta Dental to support the county's Dental Access Program, which brings mobile and children's dental services to residents who otherwise face long travel and access barriers.
Public health director and program staff told commissioners the pilot program began in mid-2024 and has brought Children's Dental Services from the Twin Cities to clinics in the county. Bree (last name not specified) said Children's Dental provided services to 134 distinct patients in 2024; through April 2025 the program had served 57 patients and additional clinics since then were expected to raise the 2025 total.
County staff said the grant pays for nonbillable costs such as transportation and travel time for mobile dental teams; the clinical care is billed to health plans or provided on sliding scales where applicable. Staff also said Delta Dental is supporting case-coordination services intended to boost utilization by Medical Assistance (MA) patients; program managers said MA utilization has increased and the payer partners are interested in extending and scaling the pilot.
Public health staff said they are negotiating to have UCare patients included in the program through arrangements with DentaQuest and local providers, and they are seeking additional foundation grants and payer support to continue and expand services. "Delta Dental's received 298 referrals out of public health for dental services," a staff member said, and county leaders called the work an effort to address longstanding rural dental-access gaps.
Commissioners praised the program and approved the grant acceptance by motion; staff said the paperwork would be provided to the board for signature and that the clinics will be scheduled in coordination with local providers and ambulance services for medical support.
The board recorded the motion to accept the grant and voted in favor. County staff said the program targets underinsured and Medical Assistance populations; the grant covers operational costs, not the billed clinical services themselves.
