Agenda: 

8:30 AM        Check-in / Light breakfast

9:00              Welcome & Panel Introductions
9:10              First three panelists
10:15            Questions/Discussion
10:30            Break
10:45            Second three panelists

11:45            Questions/Discussion
12:00 PM      Lunch / Exhibitors / Networking
1:00              Adjourn

Course Description:

Igniting the right discussions is essential. With our panel of experts, we aim to gain a comprehensive understanding of the Adult Medicaid plan, including its expanded clinical benefits, care coordination, and transportation management. Hearing from Certified Public Health Dental Hygienists actively involved in school-based and community-based programs will provide valuable insights. Additionally, we will hear from Solvere, who is working towards providing resources to deploy more public health workers to assist patients seeking dental care under this new benefit in NH.

Objectives:

1.     To achieve a comprehensive understanding of the Adult Medicaid plan, including its various components such as expanded clinical benefits, care coordination, and transportation management. This will enable us to grasp the overall structure and functioning of the program.

2.     To gather valuable insights from Public Health Hygienists who are actively engaged in school-based and community-based programs. Their experiences and perspectives will offer practical knowledge and real-world applications of the Medicaid plan.

3.     To assess Solvere's efforts in providing resources and deploying more public health workers to assist patients seeking dental care under the new benefit in New Hampshire. Understanding these initiatives will highlight the positive impact they have on improving access to healthcare services within the community.

Panelists:

Angela Boyle, MPH, RDH: Director of Health Services, for Community Crossroads, Inc.

Ms. Boyle has an extensive and diverse professional experience along with a reputation of building strong collaborative relationships to improve the health and well-being of New Hampshire residents.   Angela has over 30 years of experience in the dental field including private practice, public health settings as well as a 13-year civilian contractor with the NH Army National Guard.  For the past ten years, she has been Director of Health Services, for Community Crossroads, Inc., in Atkinson, where she developed and now implements an oral health program designed for special care populations.

Ms. Boyle played an active and successful role working closely with the Healthy Manchester Leadership Council, Manchester Public Health Department on a state-wide Fluoride Coalition on the promotion and passage of community water fluoridation in Rockingham and Hillsborough Counties. Angela served as the former Director of the Oral Health Coalition where she built and activated a coalition of stakeholders for the passage of HB 414 & HB 1537.  Angela has worked extensively with NH’s Regional Public Health Networks during the Covid-19 pandemic to provide thousands of NH residence with vaccinations. 

She is a member of the American Dental Hygiene Association, American Public Health Association and the NH Dental Hygiene Association. She is also an active clinical member of the South-Central Medical Reserve Corp, South Central Emergency Preparedness Taskforce, NH Responds, NH Behavioral Response Team and a local NH Community Emergency Response Team. 

Gail Brown, JD, MSW, BS: NH Director NH Oral Health Coalition

Gail Brown is the Director for the NH Oral Health Coalition where she leads efforts on programs, policy, and advocacy in promoting oral health advancement statewide and across the lifespan. 

Brown is trained as a graduate social worker and as an attorney with a focus on building and promoting health and service access, client and patient self-determination, and on improving systems to support individuals, strong families, and communities. 

Her work focuses on the integration of oral health and overall health with an emphasis on equitable access and opportunity for all.  In July, she was selected as one of 12 national Health Equity Heroes by the DentaQuest Corporation for her work in oral health access.   

Brown attended the University of New Hampshire undergraduate program and law school; and is a graduate of the Master of Social Work at the University of Washington in Seattle. 

Andrea Iasillo, BS, RDH, CPHDH: Manchester Health Department

Andrea attended Fones School of Dental Hygiene at the University of Bridgeport where she earned her degree in Dental Hygiene in 1990. She practiced as a dental hygienist in Connecticut in the private sector before moving to New Hampshire in 2006. Since then she has been working at the City of Manchester Health Department with the Oral Health Program. She was one of the first hygienists in the state of New Hampshire to become a Certified Public Health Dental Hygienist with a certificate from NHTI. The Manchester Oral Health Program provides care to the children in Manchester public schools grades K -12 who otherwise would not have access to oral healthcare. The program is also branching out to provide care to adults 55+ at the City of Manchester Cashin Senior Activity Center.  She has been married to her husband Don for 35 years and has two children, Kylie and Casey. In her free time she enjoys traveling, golf and the beach. 

Edward. J. Lorch, Chief Executive Officer, Solvere Health

Edward Lorch is CEO of Solvere Health. Edward developed a keen interest in the healthcare industry during two decades in investment banking and private equity. Specifically, he was inspired by organizations that seek to improve healthcare. Edward launched Solvere Health with the mission to work with federal, state, institutional, and corporate partners to rapidly address public healthcare voids in perpetually under-represented communities. Today, Solvere Health brings healthcare everywhere through sustainable group health event programs via portable, mobile, and strategically located brick and mortar clinics, with particular expertise in dental and hearing health. 

Jay Maillet, DMD, MPH, Associate Dental Director, DentaQuest

Dr. Jay Maillet is the Associate Dental Director for the Northeast Region at DentaQuest. He obtained his DMD degree from Tufts University School of Dental Medicine as well as his Master of Public Health from the Harvard University TH Chan School of Public Health. Prior to his current role at DentaQuest, he practiced in the state of New Hampshire in both public health and private practice settings.

Myra Nikitas, CPHDH, RDH: Greater Nashua Dental Connection

Myra has been in the dental field for over 20 years, beginning with working at a dental office where she was trained as a dental assistant. As her enthusiasm grew in the dental field, she went on and pursued a degree in dental hygiene. She graduated from NHTI Concord in 2005, earning her RDH. She then completed her certification in local anesthesia and nitrous oxide administration and monitoring in 2010 from NHTI Concord. Myra worked in private practice for 15 years, and during that time she volunteered, offering free dental preventive services for school-aged children at the Greater Nashua Dental Connection, a non-profit organization where she also served as a member of the Board of Directors. Myra earned her Certified Public Health Certification in 2019, from NHTI Concord. As her passion for working in the public health sector continued to grow, she took a full-time position at The Greater Nashua Dental Connection as a public health dental hygienist where she currently works.

Myra is presently one of the dental investigators for the State of NH. She also served as President for the NH Dental Hygienists' Association and Chair of the Dental Hygienists' Committee under the NH Board of Dental Examiners from 2019 - 2022.

In her spare time, Myra enjoys spending time with her family and friends, and helping others. She is a Reiki practitioner and donates her time at Southern NH Medical Center, in Nashua. 

Myra is committed to providing care to underprivileged individuals. Her passion and empathy are recognized by many.