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Finally, someone’s thinking about kids who can’t sit still in dental chairs.
HRSA just dropped something game-changing: $50 million dedicated to helping FQHCs serve children with autism and neurodevelopmental disorders who need dental care.
25 health centers will each get $2 million to pilot innovative approaches.
Here’s why this matters:
📊 The gap is massive:
• 1 in 36 children have autism spectrum disorder
• 70% lack adequate dental care access
• Standard dental offices often can’t accommodate sensory needs
• Many dentists won’t accept Medicaid for complex cases
What makes this funding different:
It’s not just about more appointments. HRSA wants FQHCs to completely reimagine dental care delivery:
✓ Sensory-friendly clinic designs
✓ Extended appointment times
✓ Specialized training for dental teams
✓ Behavioral support integration
✓ Family-centered care models
The pilot programs launching this May will test everything from virtual reality distraction techniques to collaborative care with behavioral therapists during procedures.
One FQHC CEO told me: “We’ve been MacGyvering solutions for years. Now we can actually build what these families need.”
This isn’t just about filling cavities.
For families with special needs children, finding dental care that works can take months of searching, hours of driving, and thousands in out-of-pocket costs.
FQHCs already serve 31 million patients. Adding specialized pediatric dental capacity could transform access for our most vulnerable kids.
The real test? Whether these pilots can create sustainable models that work beyond the grant period.
Because every child deserves dental care that meets them where they are, not where we expect them to be.
♻️ Repost if special needs dental care deserves dedicated funding
👉 Follow me, Jonathan Govette, for daily, real-time updates on healthcare technology and business news. LinkedIn Profile: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jonathangovette/
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Author:
CEO/Co-Founder @ Oatmeal Health | AI Lung Cancer Screening | Almost Became a Doctor | Engineer | Follow to Share What I’ve Learned Along the Way
I help patients get the care they need earlier, preventing late-stage cancer.
That’s been the throughline across three companies and almost 20 years in healthcare. At ReferralMD, we fixed broken referral networks so patients didn’t fall through the cracks. At Oatmeal Health, it’s lung cancer: building the diagnostic and screening infrastructure so the 85% of cases caught too late get caught early instead.
Today as CEO of Oatmeal Health, I lead a team embedding AI into radiology workflows to turn routine lung CT scans into reimbursable cancer risk assessments. We partner with FQHCs to reach underserved communities, and with health systems and payers to make early detection economically sustainable. Think HeartFlow or Cleerly, but for lungs.
Between companies, I advised at Techstars and Plug and Play, mentoring founders building in digital health. That experience shaped how I think about what separates companies that ship from companies that stall: distribution, reimbursement, and clinical trust, not just technology.
I’m a CancerX alumnus, a 3x healthcare founder, and someone who believes the biggest problems in cancer aren’t scientific. They’re operational.
We’re hiring mission-driven builders at Oatmeal Health. If you want to work on something that matters, reach out.
When I’m not working, I’m traveling, mentoring, and keeping up with one very energetic husky. 🐾
Substack – The Oatmeal Bite:
Millions of patients get less care because of who they are, where they live, or how they look. I’m fighting to change that. CEO @OatmealHealth, a startup built for the underserved. The Oatmeal Bite: intel for clinicians, investors, and advocates.
Jonathan Govette
CEO of Oatmeal Health
Substack:
https://oatmealhealthjonathangovette.substack.com/
