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Toolkits, Fact Sheets, Reports

Continuing Education

Continuing Education

PAs are committed to lifelong learning and professional development. Find continuing education resources.

Toolkits - Fact Sheets - Reports

Toolkits, Facts, Reports

Check out resources compiled by the nccPA Health Foundation on oral health and mental health.

 

Video Library

Video Library

Watch PAs, patients and others share efforts to improve access, reduce disparities and foster equitable care.

Grant Writing Tools

Grant Writing Tools

Need technical assistance? Check out tips for developing your grant proposal.

Toolkits

Oral Health, Mental Health & Substance Use Treatment: A Toolkit in Action (2021): 

The National Council for Mental Wellbeing and Bowling Business Strategies developed this toolkit in partnership with a group of national experts convened to help advance the field of oral health, mental health, and substance use treatment coordination and integration.

Mom-To-Be Oral Health Toolkit (2019):

Oral health during pregnancy and infancy is especially important. Starting proper oral hygiene habits at a young age sets up a lifetime of happy, healthy smiles! This toolkit serves as a guide to answer questions and provide healthy tips for your patients who are expecting.

Rural Oral Health Toolkit (2017):

Access to oral health care is a serious challenge in rural communities. Use this toolkit to learn more about the barriers rural Americans face and to implement a community project that improves access to oral healthcare.

Senior Oral Health Toolkit (2017):

The toolkit offers examples on how preventive activities have been implemented into programs to address oral health issues among seniors.

Pediatric Oral Health Outreach Toolkit (2016): This guide for PA program student societies was assembled by SAAAPA's service volunteer group. Plan your own outreach event and apply for a community outreach grant.

Innovations in Oral Health Toolkit (2015): Use this toolkit to a) facilitate the integration of oral health into interprofessional, team-based health education across interdisciplinary health professions and b) promote a team-based, collaborative practice approach to oral health promotion and disease prevention in primary care and community-based settings.

Fact Sheets

Oral Health Fact Sheets (2016)

Improve your patient's oral health literacy with these user-friendly handouts: Oral Health Overview; Oral Health and Diabetes; Oral Health and Older Adults; and Oral Health and HPV. (Available in both English and Spanish).

Reports

National Institutes of Health & National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (2021): Oral Health in America: Advances and Challenges is the twenty-year follow-up to the seminal Oral Health in America: A Report of the Surgeon General. This report recognizes the initiatives and efforts of the past decade in improving oral health care for all, and reviews new directions and innovative strategies that contribute to preventing and treating oral health problems. The report also identifies current disparities and inequalities in oral health care and recognizes the importance of oral health in improving health equity, thereby improving the overall health of our nation.

American Institute of Dental Public Health (2021): Veteran Oral Health: Expanding Access and Equity examines the oral health needs of veterans and highlights the drivers of care access; provides strategic recommendations for improving both access to and quality of oral health care for veterans; advocates for the oral health community to support the oral health care needs of veterans; and supports oral health care teams in implementing equitable care for veterans.

Primary Care Collaborative (2021): Innovations in Oral Health and Primary Care Integration presents innovative ways to integrate oral health and primary care, which will give more people access to dental care and further health equity in the U.S. healthcare system. 

American Dental Association (2017): Oral Health and Well Being in the US evaluates the connection between oral health and overall well-being for people in the US and provides state specific information on how adults feel about oral health and their ability to gain employment, whether poor oral health limits social activity, and expectations for oral health as they age.

Qualis White Paper (2015): Oral Health: An Essential Component of Primary Care offers a model for integrating preventive oral health care in routine medical care.

HRSA (2014): Integration of Oral Health in Primary Care describes a structured approach to improving access to oral health care by expanding oral health clinical competency of primary care clinicians.

Podcasts

Vital Minds, the PA Foundation’s podcast series, features a conversation about oral health integration with certified PA Melinda Thomas.

Additional Resources

Download our quick reference guide for your office, clinic, or classroom!

Use World Oral Health Day's 2022 resources to promote good oral health in your practice, office, classroom and more.  All content is free to use as long as it's used in its original form (no modifications allowed) and doesn't promote a product or a business. 

The CDC's Oral Health page provides data on children and adults, common diseases and how populations are affected; information on a variety of oral health topics and inforgraphics; information on the benefits on water flouridation; and more.  The Children's Oral Health section provides resources for providers, including an interactive activity book that helps children learn good oral health habits. 

All 4 Oral Health Blog offers insights about nursing and interprofessional efforts to build oral health competencies among future primary care providers.

Committed to improving the health of older adults, the Administration for Community Living (ACL) and the Office on Women's Health (OWH) released Help Your Community Smile: Start or Enhance an Oral Health Program for Older Adults, a website featuring two tools: a searchable database of nearly 200 vetted, community-based oral health programs for older adults and a community guide to implement an adult oral health program.

Why Certified PAs?

Certified PAs have the capacity to bridge mental healthcare gaps across America. Please share this informative, printable handout that describes the benefits of incorporating Certified PAs into your practice.

Plus, download and use our Be Resource Ready PDF for your office, clinic, or classroom!

COVID 19 & Mental Health Resources

Increasing evidence underscores the intersection between COVID-19 and mental health.  For example, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention survey found that 38% of participants reported anxiety and depression over the past year – an increase from 11% in 2019.   Visits to emergency departments for overdoses and suicide attempts jumped significantly between March and October of 2020.  These findings emphasize that all providers, regardless of discipline, are more likely to encounter patients with mental health concerns. 

Learn more with these resources (PDF) that focus on the intersection of COVID-19 and mental health have been identified to foster patient care and self-care. 

Fact Sheets

National Institute of Mental Health: NIMH is the lead federal agency for research on mental disorders, and their mission is to transform the understanding and treatment of mental illness through research, paving the way for prevention, recovery, and cure.

National Alliance on Mental Illness: NAMI is the nation’s largest grassroots mental health organization, and it offers extensive resources to support mental health awareness.

Reports

Mental Health America: (2022) The State of Mental Health in America provides detailed data from a variety of federal agencies and other sources to graphically display a snapshot of mental health.

Office of the Surgeon General: (2021) In Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory, Dr. Vivek Murthy calls for a whole-of-society effort to mitigate the mental health impacts of the pandemic, to address longstanding challenges, and to prevent future mental health challenges. The advisory outlines actionable steps for young people and their families and caregivers, schools, health leaders, community organizations, funders, media and technology companies, employers, and governments to protect youth mental health. All of us have a role to play.

SAMHSA: (2019) The National Survey on Drug Use and Health is a primary source for population-based prevalence estimates of substance use and mental health indicators in the United States.

National Council for Behavioral Health: (March 2017) The Psychiatric Shortage: Causes and Solutions highlights key problem areas, identifies the root causes and effects, evaluates risks with current trends, identifies specific innovative solutions, and lists actionable recommendations for implementation.

Podcasts

Vital Minds, the PA Foundation’s podcast series, features mental health in:

Additional Resources

General

The role of PAs in providing mental health care looks at NCCPA practice analysis data to assess the frequency and types of mental health conditions encountered by PAs in psychiatry and across practice settings. With the profession projected to grow, recruiting, retaining, and integrating more PAs into mental health care is a suggested strategy for addressing national provider shortages.

PsychU is a free community and online resource library for mental health. Psych U members have one simple belief: Enhanced information, increased collaboration, and ongoing discussion will lead to improved mental health care and patient outcomes for individuals with mental illnesses. PsychU is a community comprised of thousands of professionals, including Certified PAs, who provide, regulate, or administer mental health services in a variety of capacities. Membership is free. 

The National Center for Civil and Human Rights' 2020 virtual series includes six webinars addressing mental health disparities in the US: (1) The toll of white supremacy and trauma on mental health, (2) States’ failing mental health parity laws, (3) Mental health among young people in marginalized communities, (4) Trauma informed care relating to gender-based and intersectionality-based violence, (5) Human rights HIV/AIDS and mental health, and (6) Homelessness and mental health. 

J. Michael Smith, DHsc, MPAS, PA-C explains why PAs who choose to specialize in psychiatry are critical to bridging mental healthcare gaps across the U.S. Learn more in his article, published by Current Psychiatry.

The Association of Physician Assistants in Psychiatry provides both PAs encountering psychiatric patients and those practicing in psychiatry with support, advocacy, and resources.

SMI Adviser offers providers access to education, data, and consultations to make evidence-based treatment decisions for their patients with mental healthcare needs.

SAMHSA Behavioral Health Treatment Services Locator is a confidential and anonymous source of information for persons seeking treatment in the United States for addiction and mental health problems.

Mental Health First Aid teaches risk factors and warning signs for mental health and addiction concerns, strategies for how to help someone in crisis and non-crisis situations, and where to turn for help.

The Forum for Children's Well-Being aims to inform a forward-looking agenda for building a stronger research and practice base around the development and implementation of effective and equitable programs, practices, and policies to promote cognitive, affective, and behavioral health for all children, adolescents, and emerging adults.

The National Child Traumatic Stress Network is dedicated to raising the standard of care and improving access to services for traumatized children, their families and communities throughout the United States. Check out their knowledge base, apps for parents, and more.

The Campaign to Change Direction supports a change in America so that all of those in need receive the mental health care and support they deserve.

Suicide Prevention

SAMHSA’s suicide prevention resources, including screening and assessment tools as well as population-specific toolkits, help identify persons at risk for suicide and offer resources to help.

The Suicide Prevention Resource Center is supported by a SAMHSA grant and is the only federally supported resource center devoted to advancing the National Strategy for Suicide Prevention. The Center provides technical assistance, training, and other resources to increase the knowledge and expertise of professionals serving people at risk for suicide.

The American Foundation for Suicide Prevention raises awareness, funds science-based research, and assists those affected by suicide. Check out their Three Year Strategic Plan that aims to reduce the amount of suicides in the U.S.

Healthline offers a multitude if resources, including crisis hotlines, online forums and support, and other methods of support.

Substance Use

The PA Foundation offers a comprehensive PA student guide for interacting, treating, and educating patients affected by substance use disorder.

The Providers Clinical Support System was created by SAMHSA for the purpose of educating primary care providers on the treatment of opioid use disorders and chronic pain. Their website offers a wide array of training materials and educational resources, as well as free MAT Waiver Training specifically for PAs that offers up to 24 Category 1 CME credits.

The National Institute on Drug Abuse offers additional tools and resources for medical and health professionals looking for more information on addiction medicine. Check their meeting and events page regularly so you don’t miss out on an informative webinar or educational conference!

The Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO) has a comprehensive public health framework that specifically addresses the opioid crisis.

Surgeon General (2016): Facing Addiction in America: The Surgeon General’s Report on Alcohol, Drugs and Health reviews what we know about substance misuse and related consequences. Additionally,take a look at the U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on Naloxone and Opioid Overdoses.

 

Disclaimer: The information on this site is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Information and references presented here are intended solely for the general information of the reader.