(a) The Office of Oral Health shall solicit proposals from local health departments, federally qualified health centers, and entities providing dental services within State facilities, for the purpose of issuing grants to support collaborative and innovative ways to increase dental provider capacity for the underserved.
(b) Subject to the limitations of the State budget, the Office of Oral Health shall:
(1) Award grants; and
(2) Oversee the operation of the Program.
(c) The Office of Oral Health shall place priority on awarding grants to proposals that:
(1) Are targeted to regions of the State where oral health services are most scarce for low–income, disabled, and Medicaid populations; and
(2) Outline how the potential grantee will maximize limited resources, including:
(i) Sharing of resources with other persons;
(ii) Case management to eliminate barriers to dental services;
(iii) Public–private purchasing agreements;
(iv) Obtaining matching funds to increase resources;
(v) Incentives to increase provider participation;
(vi) Quantifiable outcome measures of success;
(vii) School–based screenings; and
(viii) Plans to ensure sustainability of services after termination of grants awarded under this subtitle.