1602-11934

California: Support to the California Pan-Ethnic Health Network (CPEHN), which has historically worked to advance health equity for communities of color and low-income communities across the State of California. This project will enable CPEHN to expand its focus on the importance of oral health in relation to overall health and its impacts on communities of color. Three key accomplishments to highlight in their work to date include 1) developed a deeper understanding of the oral health system in grassroots communities across California; 2) built strong relationships with policymakers and community partners around oral health equity in select California communities (including Los Angeles and Oakland); and 3) realized the inclusion of oral health equity as a part of CPEHN’s ongoing health advocacy work. One significant proposal element to highlight was CPEHN’s Taking a Bite out of Oral Health Inequities policy brief, which captures many of the learnings for the oral health landscape assessment. In the brief, CPEHN identifies key oral health issues affecting communities of color due to limited access to care, the lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate providers, and environmental factors such as a lack of healthy food options or fluoridated water. CPEHN disseminated the brief to California network partners, key policymakers, including California’s Dental Director, and have made it available on their website. Oral Health 2020 investment of $100,000 will be used to advance CPEHN’s 2016 goals to educate and build the capacity of their core partners and community residencies in understanding oral health as a social justice issue, engage their partners in an oral health social media campaign, engaging their core partners to build their communities critical consciousness of oral health using a social determinates of health model to identify community-driven oral health priorities, build on their strong network of partners committed to oral health equity, and develop and disseminate an additional policy brief and other communications. CPEHN will provide sub-grants to a core group of partners to engage community residents, with a focus on areas that experience high health and oral health disparities. This investment aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal to improve the public perception of the value of oral health to overall health.