1. CHCCC & USC THE CALIFORNIA PIPELINE Sunny Sanaz Fereshteh, DDS

2. What is the California Pipeline Project?
History, launched in 2001
Mission
Initially a five-year program designed to help increase access to dental care for underserved populations
Funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and The California Endowment
15 U.S. dental schools were selected

3. With the funding from the Dental Pipeline program, dental schools are required to:
Establish community-based clinical education programs
Revise didactic and clinical curricula
Integrate community-based practice experiences into their educational programs
Increase recruitment and retention students
Increase access to low to free care

4. CHCCC & USC Began collaboration in 2008
Externship program for senior dental students
4 to 6 week term
Incorporates the students into patient-centered community health clinics
Mentoring & guided practice
by licensed dentists among the
5 dental sites & 2 mobile clinics
Providers serve as adjunct
faculty of the Herman Ostrow
School of Dentistry

5. The Externship:
Each students provide treatment to 8 to 12 patients daily.
Students are assigned their own dental assistant.
Treatments included extractions, root canals, crowns, bridges, fillings, pulpotomies, prophies, sealants, and exams.
Students are given credit for treatments completed to apply to their graduation requirements.

6. Benefits for the Students:
Gaining speed &efficiency in procedures
Increased experience with treatments
that are more common in a public health
Working with an office staff and dental
assistants.
Experience in daily operations of a dental
practice/community health center.
Direct supervision by Faculty
Exposure to wide range of provider’s experience and expertise.
Experience with patients from diverse backgrounds.

7. Benefits for CHC: Increase access to patients from the community
Decrease cost
Increase funding and resources
Recruiting qualified new graduates
Adjunct faculty privileges to providers
USC CE courses offered to CHCCC at a discount.
Increase in the provider’s productivity by 50% when overseeing a student.

8. Benefits for the Patients:
Increasing quality of care
Lower cost
Obtain treatments in timely manner
Access to more treatments
Improve overall health and dental health

9. Initial Problems and Solutions
Housing
Transportation
Credit towards requirements
Patient consent
Diverse treatments
Credentialed faculty

10. RESULTS: Over 1500 patients of the Central
Coast have been treated by the
dental students.
Students see approximately the same amount of patients in 5 weeks at CHC as they do in 2 trimesters at USC.
Students are 3 to 4 times more productive at CHC than in dental school clinics.
Among the 35 students that have participated in the externship, 4 of the former students have become providers at CHC and numerous others have applied.

11. QUOTES from Former Students:
“I learned more in these last five weeks, than I did during a semester of treating patients in dental school.”
~Anita Imadomwanyi
“I understand now the magnitude of my role as a dentist and my obligation to serve my patients and my community.”
~Heather Stephens
This externship allowed me to expand my knowledge, skills and improve the doctor/patient relationship, making myself a better person professionally and personally.
~Manuel Cruz
“Most of the patients were Medical patients. This makes me wonder what these individuals would do for healthcare if this program is cut for patients and families.”
~Jonathan Bultema

12. THANK YOU!
QUESTIONS???