Join Us Virtually for the Third Annual Rural Oral Health Conference on Friday, November 19

In partnership with the New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) Zufall Health is pleased to present the Third Annual Rural Oral Health Conference (ROHC) on Friday, November 19 from 9:00 AM – 3:30 PM EST. This year’s theme is “Diversity and Inclusion: Addressing the Needs of Marginalized Populations in Rural Communities.”

The annual conference coincides with National Rural Health Day (NRHD), which the National Organization of State Offices of Rural Health (NOSORH) celebrates annually on the third Thursday of every November. “NRHD is an opportunity to ‘Celebrate the Power of Rural’ by honoring the selfless, community-minded spirit that prevails in rural America. NRHD showcases the efforts of rural healthcare providers, State Offices of Rural Health and other rural stakeholders to address the unique healthcare challenges that rural citizens face today and into the future,” the NRHD website says.

Keynote Speaker Paul Moore, D.Ph.

The conference’s keynote speaker is Paul Moore, D.Ph., who recently retired from his role as senior health policy advisor for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)’s Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. During his 10 years of service. He leveraged his experience related to rural health care from his family heritage and more than 30 years in community and hospital pharmacy. Moore’s presentation is entitled “The Post-Pandemic Environment: Rural Health and Impact.”

We encourage current and prospective registrants to review the full agenda in the Conference Booklet to learn more about the schedule, speakers, and session objectives. On p. 21 we are proud to share this year’s ROHC award winner, Jamie Kovalsky, RN, BSN, CSN-NJ, a school nurse in Phillipsburg, N.J. who is passionate about rural oral health and the community she serves.

Conference planning committee chair Sam Wakim, DMD, MPH, who serves as Zufall’s chief dental officer, said, “Our cohort of more than three dozen expert speakers and moderators will address some of the most pressing rural health issues we are observing today. Topics include COVID-19, HIV/AIDS, veterans’ dental health, maternal and child health, LGBTQ+ individuals, and mental health. We are especially grateful to our gold sponsor, Benco Dental, for making this event possible.”

Additional event partners and supporters include Northeast/Caribbean AIDS Education and Training Center, the American Dental Association, Liberty Dental, Dentsply Sirona, Horizon, eClinicalWorks, Delta Denta.

Dental, Medical, and Public Health continuing education (CE) credits are being offered for select sessions.

Registration closes on Tuesday, November 16 at 11:59 PM EST. Capacity is limited, so we advise reserving your seat as soon as possible. Select recordings will subsequently be available on our YouTube channel.

For any questions about the conference, please contact Elizabet Barajas of Zufall Health’s Dental Services team at ebarajas@zufallhealth.org.