Training

UCCOH works to more effectively to prepare dentists and other health professionals to meet the growing oral health needs of children with special needs, and those from underserved, high-need vulnerable populations in the Los Angeles area. By utilizing cutting-edge, evidence–based disease prevention, health promotion, and disease management tools, the SPICE-PD, IOCP, and COHWs programs will serve to prepare health care providers to address the oral health needs of children in the community, and to positively impact caregivers’ oral health knowledge and practice.

Training Programs

California Community Health Worker Oral Health Training Program

The California Community Health Worker Oral Health Training Program is a free, self-paced online course that equips community health workers (CHWs) with practical knowledge and skills to promote oral health and help connect individuals and families with dental care.

Developed by the UCLA Center for Children’s Oral Health and funded by the California Department of Public Health’s Office of Oral Health, the program is available in English and Spanish.

The training includes five sessions covering oral health and disease prevention, social determinants of health, oral health across the life course, practical tools for CHWs, and the role of CHWs on dental care teams. Participants learn strategies for patient education, care coordination, and navigation that can be applied in community and health care settings.

Participants who complete all five sessions and the final knowledge check can receive a free certificate of completion. The program also fulfills up to three hours of continuing education training for community health workers.

Please note: This training does not fulfill all requirements of the current Medi-Cal Community Health Worker Certificate Pathway.

How to Access the Training

To access the course, first create a UCLA Logon ID

  1. Select “I am a Guest of UCLA” and click “Continue as Guest.”
  2. Enter your first name, last name, date of birth, and email address.
  3. A verification code will be sent to the email address you provided.
  4. Follow the prompts to create your UCLA Logon ID and password, along with a challenge question and answer for account recovery.
  5. Once your UCLA Logon ID is created, sign in to UCLA BruinLearn using your new credentials. Select “UCLA account” when prompted.

After completing these steps, email Angelica Barba at AJuarezBarba@dentistry.ucla.edu or Victor Garcia at VGarciaDeJesus@dentistry.ucla.edu to request access to the training.

You will then be manually added to the California Community Health Worker Oral Health Training Program in UCLA BruinLearn.
 

Dr. Francisco Ramos-Gomez introduces the California Community Health Worker Oral Health Training Program.

Strategic Partnership for Interprofessional Collaborative Education in Pediatric Dentistry

Strategic Partnership for Interprofessional Collaboration & Education in Pediatric Dentistry (SPICE-PD) was created to augment and advance the training provided through the UCLA Community Health and Advocacy Training in Pediatric Dentistry (CHAT-PD) residency program. Collaboration would occur between those in the medical, dental, nursing, and public health sectors to effectively prepare professionals to meet the growing oral health needs of children from undeserved, high-need vulnerable populations in the Los Angeles area. SPICE-PD was also established to serve as an exemplary model of academic program involvement in community systems and advocacy efforts to improve children’s oral health. Professionals and residents will be a part of on-going visits to conferences to promote and support innovative research, discuss the most current aesthetic pediatric restorative techniques in oral health, and network with other attendees to reach a broader audience and establish a more influential initiative. 

Substantial disparities in children’s oral health and a lack of access to a full range of oral health/dental services exist throughout California and the US. The need for interprofessional collaboration is critical to ensure different health care provider types are engaged and prepared to address the oral health needs of children in the community. From successful implementation of the CHAT-PD program, we have strategically developed this proposal to addresses areas of high need, with goals that align with the direction in which healthcare is moving, keeping in mind the community and trainees we aim to impact.