Baylor College of Medicine — Advancing Behavioral Health Integration

Project Goal
Improve the training of medical, dental, and behavioral health care professionals so they may provide more knowledgeable, compassionate, and patient-centered care for people with developmental disabilities (DD).

Project Summary
Baylor College of Medicine is developing an interdisciplinary preventive dental clinic and promoting a fellowship position for a primary-care physician. Through the project, at least 12 medical students and 12 primary-care resident doctors will be trained each year.

Through these efforts, health care professionals are learning how to use behavioral desensitization techniques and patient-centered approaches for people with DD who previously required sedation or restraint during dental and medical procedures. This will decrease the need for sedation or restraint for patients with DD, making the patients’ visits to health care professionals more successful as they gain better access to dental and medical care.