2019 Regular Session ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 190
BY SENATORS PEACOCK AND TARVER
A RESOLUTION
To urge and request the Board of Regents to study how the state can optimally meet the oral
health needs of our citizens through the establishment of a school of dentistry in
northern Louisiana.
WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 5(D)(2) of the Constitution of Louisiana provides,
relative to public institutions of postsecondary education, that it is a power, duty, and
responsibility of the Board of Regents to approve a proposed degree program, department
of instruction, division, or similar subdivision; and
WHEREAS, Article VIII, Section 5(D)(3)(a) of the Constitution further provides that
it is a power, duty, and responsibility of the board to study the need for and feasibility of
creating a new institution of postsecondary education, which includes establishing a branch
of such an institution; and
WHEREAS, there is great interest in establishing a dental school in northern
Louisiana in order to meet the educational needs of students, the economic and workforce
development needs of the region, and the healthcare needs of the area's citizens; and
WHEREAS, oral health is an important component of overall health for the citizens
of Louisiana; and
WHEREAS, Louisiana lags behind the rest of the country in key indicators in oral
health; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, Louisiana had only forty-eight dentists per one hundred
thousand population, which is well below the national average of sixty-one dentists per
one hundred thousand population; and
WHEREAS, the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) has
designated fifty-nine of our sixty-four parishes, and all of the parishes in northern Louisiana,
as health professions shortage areas for dental health; and
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WHEREAS, Louisiana citizens in rural areas or who have low income have been
shown to have even more significant challenges in accessing dental care; and
WHEREAS, in 2016, the Louisiana Bureau of Primary Care and Rural Health
received a HRSA grant to support the Louisiana Oral Health Workforce Expansion Program
which set a goal to establish a rural track dental scholars program; and
WHEREAS, the northern region of the state lacks a dental school; and
WHEREAS, a dental school in north Louisiana would greatly expand access to dental
care to an area of the state that is underserved.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana
does hereby urge and request the Board of Regents to study how the state can optimally meet
the oral health needs of our citizens through the establishment of a school of dentistry in
northern Louisiana.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Board of Regents shall submit a written
report of its findings and recommendations to the Senate Committee on Education and the
House Committee on Education by not later than ninety days prior to the beginning of the
2020 Regular Session of the Legislature.
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
chairman of the Board of Regents and the commissioner of higher education.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE
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