Feingold Calls on President to Budget for Better Dental Health Care Senator Calls for Funding of the Dental Health Improvement Act to Increase Access to Dental Health Care in Rural and Underserved Areas December 21, 2004 Washington, D.C. -- U.S. Senator Russ Feingold (D-WI) is calling on the President to include funding in his budget for next year to increase access to dental health care in rural and underserved communities. In a letter to the President, Feingold along with Senator Susan Collins (R-ME), ask that he include funding in next year's budget for the Dental Health Improvement Act. The legislation, authored by Feingold and Collins, has already been signed into law. The legislation authorizes grants to states to help them develop innovative dental workforce development programs specific to their individual needs. "As I travel across Wisconsin, all too often I hear about long waiting lists at dental clinics or people being denied access altogether because of a lack of resources," Feingold said. "Whether it is providing student loan forgiveness for dentists or helping to recruit and retain new dentists, we must do all we can to ensure that communities have the dental health care they need." The Dental Health Improvement Act allows states to use funds in a variety of ways to address their particular dental needs, such as setting up mobile dental clinics, creating repayment programs for dentists practicing in underserved areas, or supporting recruitment and retention efforts. "While oral health in America has improved dramatically over the last 50 years, these improvements have not occurred evenly across all sectors of our population, particularly among low-income individuals and families," Feingold said. "As a consequence, effective treatment and prevention programs are not being implemented in enough communities."

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