Project Grant P0650253

RYAN WHITE TITLE III HIV CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT AND PLANNING GRANTS - PROJECT TITLE: FY 2023 RWHAP PART C CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM APPLICANT ORGANIZATION: LITTLE RIVER MEDICAL CENTER, INC. (LRMC) ADDRESS: 4303 LIVE OAK DRIVE, LITTLE RIVER, SC 29566-9138 PROJECT DIRECTOR: PAMELA DAVIS, CEO CONTACT PHONE NUMBERS: (VOICE) 843-663-8001 (FAX) 842-663-8101 EMAIL ADDRESS: PDAVIS@LRMCENTER.COM WEBSITE: WWW.LRMCENTER.COM FUNDS REQUESTED FOR ONE-YEAR PERIOD OF PERFORMANCE: $150,000 FUNDING PREFERENCE: LRMC REQUESTS A FUNDING PREFERENCE FOR RURAL AREAS AND UNDERSERVED POPULATIONS. SERVICE AREA AND NEED: LRMC, A NON-PROFIT COMMUNITY HEALTH CENTER ESTABLISHED IN 1978, PROVIDES ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, HIGH-QUALITY, PATIENT-FOCUSED PRIMARY HEALTH CARE TO RESIDENTS OF HORRY AND GEORGETOWN COUNTIES, SC, AND BRUNSWICK COUNTY, NC. IN 2012, LRMC WAS AWARDED RYAN WHITE PART C FUNDING TO IMPLEMENT AN EARLY INTERVENTION SERVICES (EIS) PROGRAM FOR THE GROWING NUMBER OF PEOPLE WITH HIV/AIDS (PWH) IN THE REGION. SINCE 2012, THE TOTAL NUMBER OF EIS CLIENTS SERVED BY LRMC HAS INCREASED FROM 35 TO 319 ENROLLED IN 2021, AN 811% INCREASE (RSR). THE NUMBER OF PWH IN THE SERVICE AREA CONTINUES TO INCREASE, GROWING BY 3.5% BETWEEN 2018 AND 2020 TO A TOTAL OF 1,703. ORAL HEALTH CARE IS A MAJOR UNMET HEALTH NEED AMONG THE PWH POPULATION. MORE THAN 1/3 OF PWH WILL HAVE AT LEAST ONE MAJOR ORAL HEALTH PROBLEM, BUT 2/3 DO NOT RECEIVE REGULAR DENTAL CARE. IN 2020, JUST 12.1% OF SC RWHAP CLIENTS RECEIVED ORAL HEALTH CARE (RYAN WHITE HIV/AIDS PROGRAM COMPASS DASHBOARD, HRSA, 2023). CATEGORY: LRMC WILL IMPLEMENT THE "DENTAL EQUIPMENT FOR EXPANDING DENTAL SERVICE CAPACITY" ACTIVITY UNDER THE "INFRASTRUCTURE DEVELOPMENT" CATEGORY. PROPOSED ACTIVITY: LRMC'S EIS PROGRAM DATA SUGGESTS AN ONGOING OPPORTUNITY FOR IMPROVEMENT IN PWH RECEIVING ORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES. IN RESPONSE, LRMC WILL LAUNCH A NEW PROGRAM THAT INTEGRATES DENTAL CARE INTO THE MEDICAL VISIT USING PORTABLE DENTAL EQUIPMENT SO PATIENTS ARE PROVIDED WITH NECESSARY DENTAL EXAMS ALONG WI TH THEIR MEDICAL SERVICES IN A SINGLE VISIT. LRMC IS REQUESTING FUNDING TO DEVELOP THREE PORTABLE DENTAL CARTS, COMPLETE WITH ALL NECESSARY EQUIPMENT AND SUPPLIES, THAT CAN BE WHEELED INTO THE PATIENT'S MEDICAL EXAM ROOM BY DENTAL STAFF WHO WILL THEN CONDUCT THE EXAM FROM THE RECLINING MEDICAL EXAM TABLE IN ORDER TO EXPAND ORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES FOR PWH. LRMC WILL LEVERAGE EXISTING DENTAL STAFF TO INTEGRATE ORAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES INTO MEDICAL VISITS FOR PWH, REMOVING ACCESS BARRIERS AND IMPROVING OUTCOMES. THE HEALTH CENTER WILL ALSO EQUIP AN ADDITIONAL STATIONARY DENTAL OPERATORY AT ONE SITE. THE USE OF THIS OPERATORY WILL BE MAXIMIZED THROUGH DENTAL CARE PROVIDED BY THE PLANNED ADDITION OF DENTAL FELLOWS AND RESIDENTS. THIS PROJECT PROPOSAL HAS BEEN THOUGHTFULLY DEVELOPED TO TARGET THE SIGNIFICANT LOW-INCOME, UNINSURED, AND UNDERSERVED POPULATION IN THE SERVICE AREA DISPROPORTIONATELY IMPACTED BY THE HIV EPIDEMIC WITH ADVERSE HEALTH OUTCOMES. INTENDED IMPACT: THIS PROPOSAL WILL STRENGTHEN LRMC'S CAPACITY TO PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY HIV PRIMARY CARE SERVICES FOR LOW-INCOME PEOPLE LIVING WITH HIV TO IMPROVE HEALTH OUTCOMES AND REDUCE HIV TRANSMISSION. THIS INNOVATIVE STRATEGY TO MERGE ORAL HEALTH SERVICES INTO MEDICAL SERVICE APPOINTMENTS FOR PWH WILL TARGET IMPROVEMENTS IN BOTH RETENTION IN CARE AND VIRAL LOAD SUPPRESSION. THE PRIMARY INDICATORS THAT WILL BE USED TO MEASURE PERFORMANCE INCLUDE (1) INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PWH RECEIVING ORAL HEALTH SERVICES FROM A BASELINE OF 123 TO A TARGET OF 160 BY 08/31/2024, INCLUDING 30 SERVED WITH INTEGRATED MEDICAL/DENTAL VISITS; AND (2) INCREASING THE NUMBER OF PWH WHO ARE VIRALLY SUPPRESSED FROM A BASELINE OF 258 TO A TARGET OF 275 BY 08/31/2024, INCLUDING 10 SERVED WITH INTEGRATED MEDICAL/DENTAL VISITS.