Henry Schein Cares has signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with the National Council on Disability (NCD) to seek improved access to care for Americans with disabilities in line with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
The MOU will focus on advancing key building blocks for expanding dental and medical care for people with disabilities, including oral health literacy and provider cultural competency for treating patients with disabilities, expanding development and utilization of products and equipment for patients with disabilities, assisting Americans with disabilities to access care, and advocating for appropriate financing and reimbursement rates.
Also, the MOU stipulates that NCD will provide technical assistance to Henry Schein Cares, such as reviewing relevant materials to ensure disability-inclusive language is being used and confirming the accuracy of information the company is providing in support of its program.
“Expanding access to care for vulnerable populations is one of the pillars of Henry Schein Cares and aligns with the company’s efforts to advocate for increased oral healthcare for people with physical, intellectual, and developmental disabilities,” said Stanley M. Bergman, chairman of the board and CEO of Henry Schein.
“We are pleased to partner with NCD to advance health equity for long-disadvantaged individuals. It is clear that the gaps in access to care are wide, and we hope that this partnership will be a powerful catalyst towards helping to create a more inclusive healthcare ecosystem,” said Bergman.
“Over 60 million Americans face unequal access to care, and by partnering with Henry Schein, we can bring together the stakeholders relevant to help provide true access to care for people with disabilities,” said NCD chair Neil Romano. “We look forward to continuing to make progress for the disability community and ensuring that dentists can provide care for this most deserving population.”
Romano also presented the NCD Chairman’s Toward Independence Award to Bergman and to Steven Kess, vice president of global professional relations at Henry Schein, during the MOU’s signing at the Greater New York Dental Meeting in New York City on December 3. The award recognizes the company’s interest in educating the medical and dental communities in disability competency and its shared commitment with NCD in coordinating their efforts.
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