COPPER - Colorado's Community Health Center Dental PBRN

The University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine, in partnership with its community health care partners, is forming a practice-based research network (PBRN) to assist in the querying, exploring, and answering of questions about the delivery and management of oral health care. This network, Community Clinics advancing Oral Health for Patients with Practitioners engaged in Education and Research (COPPER), is primarily comprised of community health centers (CHCs) across Colorado that also participate in the Advance Clinical Training Service (ACTS) program. The School of Dental Medicine has been a pioneer in community-based education and training, providing opportunities for dental students to acquire broad experiences in the delivery of dental care to underserved and vulnerable populations.

Group of primary care practices devoted principally to the care of patients.

Share commitment to expand the science base of clinical care through systematic inquiry (research) to better understand the health and health care events that occur in their community practice settings.

Allows for practicing clinicians to explore and address clinical and organizational questions relevant to the delivery of primary health care

CTR is research that turns observations from the laboratory, clinic, and community into interventions that improve health and healthcare delivery – impacting patient and provider outcomes.

Typically viewed as four phases (T1-T4) that involves the translation of basic research to humans (T1), then to patients (T2), practice settings (T3), and the population (T4), with the aim of improving public health.

To create a unique PBRN that focuses on understanding how to deliver high-quality and affordable oral health care services in community settings.

To identify interventions that improves health outcomes for underserved and/or vulnerable populations seeking care at community health centers.

To facilitate opportunities for multidisciplinary inquiries that recognizes and advances the connection between oral health and overall health.

To develop opportunities for facilitating mentoring partnerships in community and practice-based research that involves academic faculty, clinical preceptors, predoctoral and postdoctoral students.

InnovAge Colorado PACE
InnovAge offers all-inclusive care to seniors in Colorado. PACE centers are located in Aurora, Denver, Lakewood, Northern Colorado, Pueblo, and Thornton. PACE is designed to keep seniors independent and at home for as long as possible. InnovAge PACE – Program of All-inclusive Care for the Elderly – can help by providing healthcare and social services to seniors – without having them move into a nursing facility.

Salud Family Health
Salud is a Federally Qualified Health Center dedicated to providing a quality, integrated health care home to the communities they serve. Salud operates 13 clinic locations, 10 school sites and a mobile unit providing medical, dental, pharmacy and behavioral health care services for individuals and families. Salud Family Health focuses on low-income, medically underserved populations as well as the migrant and seasonal farmworker population. The 10 Salud dental clinics are in Brighton, Commerce City, Estes Park, Fort Collins Blue, Fort Lupton, Fort Morgan, Frederick, Longmont, Sterling, and Trinidad.

STRIDE Community Health Center
STRIDE Community Health Center is a Federally Qualified Health Center providing primary care and other health-related services in a community-based settings. STRIDE has the largest population base of any FQHC in Colorado and has experienced providers in Family Practice, Geriatrics, Internal Medicine, Midwifery, Obstetrics, Gynecology, Pediatrics, and Specialized Primary Care (HIV Management, Homeless Services, Physical and Intellectual Disabilities, Seizure Disorders, Refugee Health, people desiring assistance with opioid addiction, and Gender affirming and LGBTQ+ care.). The five STRIDE dental clinics are located in the Del Mar, Parker, Peoria, West Arvada, and Wheat Ridge clinics.

Valley-Wide Health Systems
Valley-Wide is a Federally Qualified Health Center operating fifteen primary health care clinics providing services for 13 rural counties in southern Colorado covering over 24,000 square land miles. These full-service clinics are complemented by nine dental clinics, four physical therapy clinics, and numerous ancillary health services to address routine and/or complex needs of the patient populations and communities served. Valley-Wide serves all ages through a family practice focus approach. Emphasis is placed on assisting the patient, reducing barriers such as cost, culture, language, literacy, and transportation that may hinder use of appropriate health care services. The nine dental clinics are located in Alamosa, Cañon City, Center, La Jara, Las Animas, Monte Vista, Buena Vista, Rocky Ford, and San Luis.

Coalition for the Homeless
The Mission of the Colorado Coalition for the Homeless (CCH) is to work collaboratively toward preventing homelessness and creating lasting solutions for families, children, and individuals experiencing or at risk of homelessness throughout Colorado. CCH is a Federally Qualified Health Center that advocates for and provides a continuum of housing and various services to improve the health, well-being, and stability of those it serves. They have six clinic service locations and provide dental services in Denver at the Stout Street Health Center and the CCH Dental Clinic on Champa Street.

Center for Oral Disease Prevention and Population Health Research (COPPR)
As a University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus center, COPPR supports collaborative interprofessional education, training, research, and community-based related activities that are focused on building resources to advance oral health. COPPR provides coordinating support for the PBRN.

School of Dental Medicine

CU Anschutz

School of Dental Medicine

13065 East 17th Avenue

Aurora, CO 80045

303-724-6900

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COPPER - Colorado's Community Health Center Dental PBRN

School of Dental Medicine

COPPER - Colorado's Community Health Center Dental PBRN

What is a Practice-Based Research Network (PBRN)?

What is Clinical and Translation Research (CTR)?

What are COPPER's Goals?

Who are COPPER's Community Partners?

Who are COPPER's Other Partners?

School of Dental Medicine