Our ongoing AHRQ grant ?Evaluation of an Innovative School-Based Initiative to Improve Receipt of Preventive Dental Care among Children Enrolled in Medicaid? (R01-HS025430-01A1), which spans the time period (7-1-2019 thru 6-30-2022), evaluates the causal impact of a highly innovative school-based program dental care delivery program specifically tailored to address unmet dental needs among low- income children. We propose a supplemental project under PA-20-070 to expand our ongoing work to determine how the delivery of school-based health and dental services may be altered in light of the unique circumstances posed by the COVID-19 pandemic. This pandemic has disrupted daily routines for all Americans, but this is especially the case for school-age children. Schools offer an important setting for the delivery of many health care services, including preventive dental services ? the topic of our parent grant. However, it remains unclear if and how schools will continue to support the delivery of school-based health and dental services given the disruptions to educational instructional and heightened risks associated with COVID- 19. Our supplement application entitled ?PA-20-070: Addressing the Delivery of School-Based Services in the Context of the COVID-19 Pandemic? proposes to develop, test, and administer an online survey of principals and school nurses at elementary schools in the state of Virginia to assess their plans, experiences and opinions regarding the provision of school-based health and dental services during the pandemic. To accomplish this objective, we intend to complete the following four steps. First, during the fall of 2020, we will conduct virtual site visits with principals and nurses at eight elementary schools to discuss perceived and real challenges to providing school-based health and dental services and planned or potential modifications to the delivery of these services. Information obtained during site visits, along with an updated environmental scan of recommendations for the safe delivery of health care services in the context of COVID- 19, will inform the development of the survey instrument. Second, we will develop and test our survey instrument with school principals and nurses to ensure that the survey captures critical information and that respondents fully understand the survey items. Third, during the winter of 2021, we will administer our online survey to all 1,145 elementary schools in Virginia. Fourth, during the spring and summer of 2020, we will analyze the survey data and prepare a manuscript and PowerPoint presentation for key stakeholders including schools, county health departments and the Virginia Department of Health (VDH). We anticipate our findings will provide valuable information to school administrators, school nurses, and county, state, and federal public health officials as they navigate the unprecedented challenges the COVID-19 pandemic poses in the development and implementation of best practices to safely deliver school-based health and dental services.
Schools offer a convenient setting to deliver health and preventive dental care services (the focus of our parent grant) and thereby address barriers to care experienced by vulnerable populations. However, it remains unclear if and how schools will continue to support the delivery of school-based health and dental services given the disruptions to educational instruction and heightened risks associated with COVID-19. In response to PA-20-070, this competitive revision supplement application includes the development, testing, and administration of an online survey of principals (school nurses) at elementary schools in the state of Virginia to assess their plans regarding the provision of school-based health and dental services during the pandemic.
