CORRECTIONAL DENTAL ASSOCIATES

 

Correctional Dental Associates (CDA) is a New Jersey based Professional Service Corporation with the explicit focus of providing cost effective, affordable, high quality dental services to State, County and Halfway House inmate populations.  The CDA staff has extensive experience in the management and provision of contractually compliant dental services to the New Jersey Department of Corrections, the New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission, County Facilities, Halfway Houses and the New York City Department of Correction.  CDA demonstrates an understanding of correctional systems, a documented 12 year track record of successful and efficient dental service, and a proven history of commitment to correctional dental care.  CDA is a certified minority business and an equal opportunity, employee based company.

CDA has managed a staff of 24 dentists, 33 dental assistants, 4 dental laboratory technicians, and 2 consulting oral surgeons.  The majority of this staff had extensive experience in corrections, an employee orientation on Department of Corrections' guidelines, a Hostage Prevention Program, and experience in the management of High Risk Inmates.  CDA has a functional and practical understanding of correctional facilities, correctional staff, institutional administrations, transport systems, specialty care, hospitalization, custody constraints and inmates. 

 Correctional Dental Associates' main administrative office is located in Trenton, New Jersey, the State Capital and location of the Central Administrative Offices for the New Jersey Department of Corrections, New Jersey Juvenile Justice Commission and Mercer County.  CDA operates a satellite office in Bridgeton, New Jersey, close to the NJDOC’s largest facility, South Woods State Prison.

Our goals are to be compliant with the contractual, legal and professional dental service requirements, realistically competitive, cost‑effective, efficient, flexible and dependable.  CDA judiciously manages staff and resources in a manner that capitalizes on the flexibility of a private delivery and at the same time, appreciates and utilizes the long‑standing strengths and stability of an established institutional dental service.  CDA is one of the most cost effective providers of dental services available, primarily because we are owner operated, involve our experienced administrative staff in all management decisions and do not sacrifice patient care or infrastructure development for profit.

 We successfully managed the challenges inherent in any newly privatized system and reached our goal of developing an efficient, effective and accountable dental service.  The New Jersey Department of Corrections (NJDOC) Dental Service benefited from better dental care at a lower cost as a result of our privatized delivery.  CDA significantly improved the NJDOC Dental Service in every documented area and reduced the original 1996 state operated cost by 24%.

We achieved the following:

National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) accreditation for each facility in New Jersey Department of Corrections - The majority of the NCCHC reviews have noted our Dental Service as either Excellent or Outstanding.

The highest number of dental visits in the recorded history of the NJDOC - Total dental visits per year currently over 71,000 versus approximately 57,000 in 1995 - The average number of dental visits per dentist increased almost 100%, 3,986 patient visits per privatized dentist in 2003 versus 2035 patient visits per state employed dentist in 1995

The highest level of compliance ever recorded with Dental Sick Call, Annual Recall and Routine Treatment Guidelines, approximately 32% in 1995 versus over 98% in 2001, 2002, 2003 and 2004

The highest number of dental prosthetic case insertions in history, with minimal backlogs and no waiting lists, approximately 1700 case insertions per year in 2003 versus approximately 980 in 1995

The installation of a state of the art Digital Panorex X-ray System for the NJDOC Central Reception & Assignment Facility - New Jersey had the first DOC Digital Panorex in the country.

The recruitment, development and retention of an excellent, motivated, professional staff with a commitment to correctional dentistry, the NJDOC and our organization

CDA provides dental care according to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, the American Dental Association standards, guidelines promulgated by the Centers for Disease Control and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards, and in compliance with the New Jersey Administrative Code 10A:16, and the NJJJC Dental Care Services Contract. 

CDA has the ability to handle all aspects of the delivery of general dental care to an inmate population.  The majority of this care is provided on site at the correctional facility dental clinics. 

CDA has the ability and the experience to provide dental services to the HIV Positive inmate population.  A CDA administrator successfully directed the NJDOC HIV Dental Program and continues to direct HIV dental care for a federally funded hospital based program.  We provide minor oral surgery on a cost effective basis.  CDA has access to bilingual staff, if not available in the institution.  The increasing number of Hispanic inmates necessitates bilingual capability. 

CDA handles recruitment of staff and all related personnel matters, including training, continuing education, contracts, performance evaluation, malpractice insurance, credentials, benefits administration and payroll.  CDA has established relationships for dental laboratory services, supplies, equipment, and equipment maintenance.  CDA has the financial capability to stand as an independent contractor.  CDA has the unmatched ability to commit the largest percentage of designated funds directly to patient care because our basic organizational goal is compliance with our contractual, legal and professional dental service requirements.

CDA’s documented contractual compliance, successful reviews in every NJDOC facility by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care, our vast level of experience, and our tried and true long‑standing relationships within correctional systems make Correctional Dental Associates a perfect choice for the management and delivery of inmate dental care.