BILL NUMBER: AB 648AMENDED BILL TEXT AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 29, 2015 AMENDED IN SENATE JUNE 11, 2015 INTRODUCED BY Assembly Member Low ( Coauthor: Senator Nguyen ) FEBRUARY 24, 2015 An act to add Section 104755.5 to the Health and Safety Code, relating to oral health, and making an appropriation therefor. LEGISLATIVE COUNSEL'S DIGEST AB 648, as amended, Low. Community-based services: Virtual Dental Home program. Existing law establishes the State Department of Public Health and sets forth its powers and duties, including, but not limited to, the administration of a state oral health program known as the Office of Oral Health for the purposes of, among other things, establishing community dental disease prevention programs for schoolaged children. This bill would establish the Virtual Dental Home grant program to expand the virtual dental home model of community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this state who are in greatest need, as prescribed. The bill would require the program to facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services through use of the Virtual Dental Home model by providing grants to, among other things, develop training modules and establish community-based learning collaboratives, as prescribed. The bill would require the program administrator to evaluate the grant program's progress toward meeting the objective to expand the virtual dental home model of the community-based delivery of dental care and to post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation, as specified. The bill would appropriate $4,000,000 to the department for the purposes of this program. Vote: 2/3. Appropriation: yes. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no. THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF CALIFORNIA DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: SECTION 1. Section 104755.5 is added to the Health and Safety Code, to read: 104755.5. (a) The Virtual Dental Home (VDH) grant program is hereby established to expand the virtual dental home model of community-based delivery of dental care to the residents of this state who are in greatest need. (b) The grant program shall be administered by the dentist appointed to the State Department of Public Health, Oral Health Unit, by the director pursuant to Section 104755. (c) The VDH grant program shall facilitate, coordinate, and encourage development and expansion of the delivery of dental health services through the use of the Virtual Dental Home model by providing grants to do all of the following: (1) Develop training modules and Web-based technical assistance. (2) Establish community-based learning collaboratives. (3) Fund essential VDH technology and equipment. (4) Develop and fund other services, as determined by the grant administrator, as required to meet the requirements of this section. (d) The program administrator may seek additional private or public funds to expand access to the VDH program. (e) The VDH program shall be focused on providing needed services in geographic areas of highest need, as determined by the program administrator. (f) The program administrator may grant funds directly to public and private educational institutions or nonprofit entities as required to meet the requirements of this section. (g) The program administrator shall evaluate the grant program's progress toward meeting the objective to expand the virtual dental home model of the community-based delivery of dental care to residents in geographic areas of highest need. Upon completion of the evaluation, the program administrator shall post the evaluation and a summary of the evaluation on the State Department of Public Health' s Internet Web site. SEC. 2. The sum of four million dollars ($4,000,000) is hereby appropriated from the General Fund to the State Department of Public Health for the purposes of the Virtual Dental Home (VDH) program established pursuant to Section 104755.5 of the Health and Safety Code.