1601-11878

West Virginia: Support to the Marshall University (MU) Research Corporation to expand the reach of the West Virginia Oral Health Coalition (WVOHC) by strengthening the capacity of community-based oral health coalitions and identifying and recruiting new partners from the state-based organizations not yet engaged in the oral health movement. Through this engagement strategy, MU will deepen the leadership capacity of the oral health network and improve health equity by incorporating beliefs, values, and experiences of those directly impacted. Key stakeholders of the state-based organizations will be trained to implement evidence-based programs (EBPs), thus internalizing the EBPs into their routine practice protocols. Strategies will be aimed at improving children’s oral health care access and eliminating oral health disparities. The proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal of eradicating dental disease in children and the target of having 85% of children reach age five without a cavity. $175,801 will cover personnel time, travel, meeting expenses, consultants, and communication, as well as eight mini-grants to community-based and state-based coalition partners.