HOUSE JOINT MEMORIAL 12

48th legislature - STATE OF NEW MEXICO - second session, 2008

INTRODUCED BY

Edward C. Sandoval

A JOINT MEMORIAL

REQUESTING THE NEW MEXICO HEALTH POLICY COMMISSION AND THE UNIVERSITY OF NEW MEXICO HEALTH SCIENCES CENTER TO STUDY THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A DENTAL SCHOOL IN NEW MEXICO.

     WHEREAS, New Mexico is facing a shortage of dentists, being ranked forty-ninth in the nation in dentists per capita for the year 2000, according to the United States department of health and human services; and 

     WHEREAS, in the year 2000, six hundred sixteen dentists and five hundred sixty dental hygienists practiced in the state, reflecting approximately thirty-four dentists per one hundred thousand population, well below the national rate of approximately sixty-four dentists per one hundred thousand population; and

     WHEREAS, the number of dentists in New Mexico increased by only two percent between the years 1991 and 2000, while the state's population grew by eighteen percent; and

     WHEREAS, in New Mexico, two counties have no dentists, four counties have only one dentist and six counties have only two dentists; and

     WHEREAS, the most underserved populations in New Mexico for oral health care are rural and low-income persons; and

     WHEREAS, one impediment to dental care access is the lack of dental profession diversity, with only six and eight-tenths percent of dentists and only eleven and seven-tenths percent of dental students, nationally, being members of underrepresented minority groups; and

      WHEREAS, the oral health care needs of New Mexico could be met by the establishment of a dental school in the state that focuses on education, outreach and research; and

     WHEREAS, the benefits of having a dental school in the state include increased access to dental and oral health services in all parts of the state, comprehensive medical and dental clinics, economic development from an increased oral health workforce and a more diverse oral health workforce; and

     WHEREAS, a dental school study would determine the appropriate model to use in establishing a dental school, such as a patient-centered delivery system that provides services to community-based patient care centers; and

     WHEREAS, a dental school study should use the "pipeline, profession and practice: community-based dental education" program model, which is the result of a collaborative effort among fifteen dental schools in the United States; and

     WHEREAS, the "pipeline" program model provides disadvantaged populations with access to dental care, increases the diversity of the dental workforce and gives dental students and dental resident doctors clinical experience in patient-centered community health care facilities; and

     WHEREAS, a dental school study should have as its goals reduction in the disparity in dental care between populations; the education of dentists who will provide care to low-income rural citizens; the development of effective oral health care delivery systems; the recruitment of dental students from rural and underserved areas of the state; and the development of a combined doctor of dental science and master of public health degree program, with a focus on training to meet the needs of rural areas; and

     WHEREAS, a study should also address the economic impact of a dental school, the number of dentists needed to meet the need for oral health care in rural areas and the cost of establishing and maintaining a dental school; and

     WHEREAS, a dental school in New Mexico would best be established at the university of New Mexico health sciences center, and the health sciences center can support a study by providing expertise on developing a comprehensive dental health program for practitioners, conducting research on best practices in dentistry, extending dental services into underserved areas of the state, administering the accreditation process for a dental school and creating public-private partnerships for development of a dental school; and

     WHEREAS, a study should consider that a dental school in New Mexico would admit its first class of students in the fall of 2009, with an enrollment of thirty students per year for the first four years and a total enrollment of one hundred twenty students by the year 2013; and

     WHEREAS, a cost study that was conducted by the university of North Carolina for a new dental school, using a "pipeline" program model, indicates that a dental school to meet New Mexico's oral health needs would require a total capital budget of forty-six million dollars ($46,000,000), including costs for design, planning, physical facilities and equipment and a full, annual operating budget of approximately ten million dollars ($10,000,000) by fiscal year 2012; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico health policy commission, together with the department of health and other state agencies, is responsible for developing a comprehensive strategic plan for health care in New Mexico; and

     WHEREAS, the comprehensive strategic plan for health care includes addressing the accessibility of oral health care; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico health policy commission is responsible for performing a needs assessment for health education, among other health care needs, in the state; and

     WHEREAS, the New Mexico health policy commission is required by law to respond to legislative requests;

     NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF NEW MEXICO that the New Mexico health policy commission and the university of New Mexico health sciences center be requested to conduct a joint study to determine the feasibility of establishing a dental school in New Mexico; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the study determine a model for a dental school in New Mexico that will serve the oral health care needs of New Mexico's diverse populations, including its rural and low-income persons; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the New Mexico health policy commission and the university of New Mexico health sciences center be requested to submit the dental school study to the interim legislative health and human services committee by November 1, 2008; and

     BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that copies of this memorial be transmitted to the chair of the legislative health and human services committee, the secretary of finance and administration, the secretary of health, the board of regents of the university of New Mexico and the executive vice president for health sciences at the university of New Mexico.

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