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F I S C A L I M P A C T R E P O R T

SPONSOR Garcia, MH

ORIGINAL DATE

LAST UPDATED

01/30/08

HB 442

SHORT TITLE Dona Ana Mobile Dental Clinic

SB

ANALYST Geisler

APPROPRIATION (dollars in thousands)

Appropriation

Recurring

or Non-Rec

Fund

Affected

FY08

FY09

$330.0

Recurring

General Fund

(Parenthesis ( ) Indicate Expenditure Decreases)

Related to: HJM 12 and HB 419

SOURCES OF INFORMATION

LFC Files

Responses Received From

Department of Health (DOH)

SUMMARY

Synopsis of Bill

House Bill 442 would appropriate $330 thousand from the general fund to the Department of

Health (DOH) in Fiscal Year 2009 to operate a mobile dental clinic that will provide dental care

to uninsured and underinsured low-income children in Dona Ana County. Any unexpended

balance remaining at the end of FY 2009 shall revert to the General Fund.

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS

DOH notes the funding in HB 442 was not included in DOH’s Executive Budget. HB 442 would

allocate $330,000 to operate a mobile dental health clinic in Dona Ana County. However,

factoring in the first year cost of the vehicle this amount may be insufficient. The Mobile Health

Clinics Network estimates that, to outfit and operate a basic two-chair mobile dental clinic, the

cost would be in excess of $500,000. This includes first-time expenses for construction, staffing

and operational expenses. In subsequent years, the annual cost to operate and maintain the

mobile dental health clinic would be a minimum of $300,000.

Laws 2007, Chapter 42, Section 65 contains $56,000 in General Fund capital appropriations to

the Department of Health to “purchase and equip a vehicle for a mobile dental clinic in Dona

House Bill 442 -- Page

2

Ana County." To date, nothing has been done with these funds because the cost significantly

exceeds $56,000. The capital funding expires on June 30, 2011.

SIGNIFICANT ISSUES

DOH notes that while oral health disease may be the most preventable health condition affecting

the U.S. population, the oral health of minority populations and the underserved remains poor.

(Centers for Disease Control NHANES IV Report) Tooth decay is the most common childhood

disease, being five times more common than asthma. Annually, 56 million school hours are lost

as a result of dental disease among children. The 2000 New Mexico Children’s Oral Health

Surveillance Survey (NMOHSS) Report has identified that 65% of New Mexico children have

experienced tooth decay and 37% have untreated tooth decay.

A serious shortage of dental providers exists throughout the state. Most of the counties, either in

specific populations or the entire county, have been designated as dental health professional

shortage areas. These include the southern counties of Lea, Eddy, Otero, portions of Dona Ana,

Luna, Hidalgo, and low-income populations of Grant and Sierra.

The intent of HB 442 is to establish a mobile dental health clinic to provide services to children

in Dona Ana County who do not have dental insurance, are low-income, at high risk for dental

disease and may not have the ability to visit a traditional dental office. The bill would be

strengthened by clarifying whether funds could be used to purchase, as well as operate, a mobile

unit.

ADMINISTRATIVE IMPLICATIONS

DOH notes that should HB 442 be enacted, additional employees would be required to staff the

mobile dental clinic, including one FTE dentist, one FTE dental hygienist, one FTE dental

assistant and one FTE driver. Other expenditures include vehicle maintenance and storage,

dental supplies, administrative coordination of scheduling, and record keeping.

RELATIONSHIP

HB 442 relates to HJM 12, which would request the New Mexico Health Policy Commission and

the University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center to study the establishment of a Dental

School in New Mexico.

HB 442 also relates to HB 419, which would appropriate $100,000 from the General Fund to

DOH in Fiscal Year 2009 to contract with a nonprofit company to provide dental services to

underserved children statewide who have little access to dental health professionals and who are

at high risk for dental disease.

GG/bb