The St. David’s Foundation is a health foundation in Central Texas, and one of the largest oral health funders in the region. It is also home to the flagship St. David’s Foundation Mobile Dental Program, one of the largest school-based mobile dental programs providing charity care in the country. Founded in 1998, the Dental Program is a comprehensive public health dentistry program, with 10 state-of-the-art dental mobile units, 50+ full-time paid clinical and operations staff, and a service territory of six ISD school districts and four charter school districts, in Central Texas.

Soon after the incident that occurred at an elementary campus in Uvalde, Texas in May of 2022, our Dental Leadership Team strategized to enhance safety measures and training protocols for staff to create a safer work environment. With the assistance of Detective Matthew Judd from the Austin Police Department, staff were able to make modifications to our day-to-day work. This included minor structural changes to our dental units, parking/location safety, additional training for staff, what content should go into a short safety manual and understanding the reality of what would not work. In this presentation we will be reviewing the various changes we implemented, enhancements to community outreach for our partners and school districts, and de-escalation techniques to use with difficult patients. We will also be suggesting special trainings for your staff and the importance of adding a safety strategy within your own clinical guide.

Speakers:
 ◦ Erica Castillo, Senior Dental Operations Manager, St. David’s Foundation Dental Program
◦ Eddie Gonzales, Dental Fleet Manager, St. David’s Foundation Dental Program
◦ Yubelly Perez, Community Outreach Program Manager, St. David’s Foundation Dental Program

Conference 2023