20 - The Role of a Refugee Community Care Coordinator to Improve Scheduling and Appointment Efficiency

Abstract: Iowa has a long history of welcoming refugees. However, the 2021 influx of over 750 Afghan refugees highlighted the need for a targeted Community Care Coordinator (CCC) to act as a liaison between public health clinics, resettlement agencies, and ethnic-based community organizations. Previously, refugees have not received well-coordinated access to oral healthcare resulting in unmet treatment needs and lack of preventive care. The CCC’s objective is to improve the dental referral process to meet the specific needs of the refugee population.

Methods
The CCC established partnerships between the community dental clinics by holding in-person and virtual meetings, standardizing the dental screening and referral process, and coordinating translation and transportation services. The CCC met with each resettlement and community organization to orient them on the referral process. Each dental clinic dedicated a specific schedule to refugee comprehensive exams and emergent needs. The CCC managed demographics, referrals, and appointment attendance utilizing Excel and a refugee intake form. For specialty care, the CCC coordinated referrals and worked closely with Iowa Mission of Mercy for specific patient needs.

Results
Initial results include partnership of four community dental clinics, eight refugee-related organizations, and over 250 refugee appointments. (In process of collecting additional data to be presented.) The dental clinics experienced increased efficiency while scheduling new refugee appointments and better productivity for the clinical staff during the appointment time.

CONCLUSIONS
Through targeted care coordination, a CCC can improve efficiency and capacity in community dental clinics thereby increasing access to care for the refugee population.

Source of Funding: Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation provided grant funding to both Broadlawns Dental Clinic and Dental Connections, Inc. to make this pilot project possible.