The Board of Directors of the Center for Oral Health is pleased to announce its appointment of Conrado E. Bárzaga as Executive Director of the Center.

Conrado E. Bárzaga, MD, is an internationally recognized public health leader with more than 17 years of progressively important positions with organizations addressing health care issues. He has served in top leadership positions for the Los Angeles County Commission on Children and Families First Proposition 10 (First 5 LA), Planned Parenthood, and Sacred Heart University’s Area Health Education Center.

See link below for the full announcement:
Conrado E. Bárzaga chosen as Executive Director for Center for Oral Health

To show support for SB 694, the following letter was sent to Senator Padilla's office by the Center for Oral Health:

Center for Oral Health SB 694 Letter of Support

The Center for Oral Health wishes to thank Philips Sonicare for their very generous donation of 350 Sonicare toothbrushes to our WIC: Early Entry into Dental Care Program in the Inland Empire area of California.

Each enrolled mother will now receive the gift of a Sonicare toothbrush and instructions for use. COH staff, as well as First 5 San Bernardino, the funders of the program, are excited by the opportunity to make such a difference. Thank you again to Philips Sonicare and all staff that made this donation possible.

Links:
Philips Sonicare Website
WIC: Early Entry into Dental Care Program

October 4, 2011: The briefing, Impact of Community-Based Oral Health Services: Reducing the Barriers to Care was sponsored by the Center for Oral Health. Speakers focused on emphasizing preventive services to reflect the new focus of CMS and the Benefit Exchange, increasing access and utilization rates of dental care by providing services where people are and achieving sustainability and efficiency in public dental health program models.

<watch video>

Floridians who lost health coverage in the recession and Medicaid patients are increasingly turning to emergency rooms for dental care, driving up costs for the uninsured and taxpayers, a study reported Thursday.

More than 115,000 people went to the hospital last year for dental care that could have been prevented or done at a much lower cost in a dentist's office, said officials of the Florida Oral Health Coalition, which did the study. That's up 9 percent since 2008. More than 15,500 of them were children.

<read more>