1509-11502

This investments support The Children’s Partnership (TCP) to partner with local and state stakeholders in order to elevate the voice of children’s oral health in California and shape a statewide policy/advocacy strategy that aligns with a systems change approach to improve children’s access to oral health care, the quality and effectiveness of care that is delivered in local, community-based sites, and the value that the public places on oral health as it relates to overall health. Specifically, TCP will partner with the First 5 Association to shape a policy agenda that promotes children’s oral health and aligns funding resources with systems change; serve as a resource to the California grassroots partners by providing technical assistance, a webinar, and ongoing interactions that highlight different policy items that might impact their local communities; continue to support the implementation and institutionalization of the Virtual Dental Home (VDH) model in partnership with the University of the Pacific; research and support the development of innovative care delivery models, including the use of home visitors and promotores; and continue to provide ongoing support and resources targeted to families and children about access to oral health services and the importance of oral health as it relates to overall health. The gaps in access to oral health services for California’s children are clear as evidenced by the recent statewide audit. Engaging partners like TCP will allow us to continue to raise awareness about these gaps and develop statewide policy solutions necessary to address these issues. $211,100 will support personnel time to develop and maintain relationships with key stakeholders and coordinate ongoing collaborative efforts that promote oral health; communications and marketing materials to share key policy updates and action items with the network; travel and meeting expenses necessary for the implementation of this work. This proposal is aligned with the Oral Health 2020 goal of improving the public perception of the value of oral health and the target that by 2020, oral health is increasingly included in health dialogue and public policy.