title: Health disparities among highly vulnerable populations in the United States: a call to action for medical and oral health care.
abstract: Healthcare in the United States (US) is burdened with enormous healthcare disparities associated with a variety of factors including insurance status, income, and race. Highly vulnerable populations, classified as those with complex medical problems and/or social needs, are one of the fastest growing segments within the US. Over a decade ago, the US Surgeon General publically challenged the nation to realize the importance of oral health and its relationship to general health and well-being, yet oral health disparities continue to plague the US healthcare system. Interprofessional education and teamwork has been demonstrated to improve patient outcomes and provide benefits to participating health professionals. We propose the implementation of interprofessional education and teamwork as a solution to meet the increasing oral and systemic healthcare demands of highly vulnerable US populations.
authors.affiliation: Center on Health Disparities, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VA, USA. avanderbilt@vcu.edu
authors.forename: Allison A
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Vanderbilt
authors.forename: Kim T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Isringhausen
authors.forename: Lynn M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: VanderWielen
authors.forename: Marcie S
authors.initials: MS
authors.lastname: Wright
authors.forename: Lyubov D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Slashcheva
authors.forename: Molly A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Madden
mesh_terms: D003729:Dental Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000193:education*; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006298:Health Services Administration; D054625:Healthcare Disparities; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D035862:Vulnerable Populations
keywords: health disparities; interprofessional education; medical health; oral health; underserved populations; vulnerable populations
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