Photo By Crystal Farris | Idaho Army National Guardsman Staff Sgt. Jordan Seward receives a dental examination...... read more read more
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The Idaho Army National Guard opened its first Field Dental Treatment Facility on Gowen Field, Mar. 5, under the National Guard’s Limited Dental Treatment Program. Under the program, the facility will help Idaho Guardsmen with urgent and emergent dental issues receive timely care at no cost to them, while also assisting them and their units obtain increased medical readiness for deployment.
“Previously, during Soldier readiness processing, we had the ability to provide dental exams and X-rays,” said Capt. Trey Wanty, deputy state surgeon. “Now we have the ability to complete exams and provide limited treatment. This allows Soldiers to receive dental care within our dedicated dental treatment rooms on Gowen Field rather than sending them to a civilian provider at a later time for follow-up care.”
In the past, Soldiers were sent with vouchers to civilian clinics to receive care after a dental issue was identified by providers during an SRP event. Wanty said that process not only costed the state more money, but it would often take several months to get Soldiers treatment and later qualified medically ready. Now, dentists can identify a problem and provide immediate care at the same time and location.
“The Idaho Army National Guard recognizes dental treatment is a major factor in our medical readiness,” said Wanty. “When the National Guard Bureau asked which states wanted to become a pilot state in this program our state’s leadership jumped at the opportunity. It is going to save our organization significant money, while also providing our Soldiers quicker assistance and improving our medical readiness.”
Idaho is one of three states, including Arizona and Nebraska, to pilot the program. Idaho received approval for the facility in January through an NGB dental evaluation team and credentialing board comprised of providers from across the country. In February, Idaho Army National Guard dental providers received credentialing to provide limited dental treatment and in March, the facility served its first patients during an SRP event.
The facility is currently serviced by two providers during drill weekends when Soldiers attend their annual readiness processing. It is comprised of two dental treatment rooms with full sterilization capabilities and a total of six dental exam chairs, two stationary oral x-ray machines, four portable oral X-ray machines and two panoramic X-ray machines.
Under the Limited Dental Treatment Program, the facility can provide dental X-rays, tooth extractions, root canals, capping treatments, dental fillings and more. It cannot provide services to Soldiers currently enrolled in the TRICARE Dental Program or those needing care involving sedation.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.08.2023 15:41 |
| Story ID: | 439969 |
| Location: | BOISE, IDAHO, US |
| Web Views: | 213 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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