1604-12111

Hawaii: This Oral Health 2020 investment supports the Hawaii Public Health Association (HPHA) to serve as the backbone support infrastructure and lead convener for the Hawaii Oral Health Network, with the vision of creating a diverse statewide network of oral health advocates and champions who will work collectively towards achieving oral health equity in the State of Hawaii. Specifically, HPHA proposes to: a) broaden the dialogue on oral health issues from the largely grassmiddle level of state and community agencies/organizations, b) incorporate thoughts and views on oral health, barriers, and possible strategies from community-based and cultural bridge representatives, and c) reach out to incorporate more of the missing and currently unheard-represented grassroots stakeholders. In efforts to encourage community-driven oral health leadership and innovation within the statewide network, HPHA will provide grassroots sub-grants across the state to develop more community-specific initiatives that will help improve oral health in populations with the most significant needs. These sub-grants will allow more vocal and active participation and connection than what a “centrally-based “one-size-fits-all” intervention could achieve. Additionally, HPHA will work with the existing key oral health stakeholders and agencies at the state-level to better understand the Hawaii Oral Health Plan and propose new strategies with the input and thoughts from grassroots and community-based organizations/individuals, and advocate for the inclusive of change approaches might be incorporated into the plan. In the short-term, building and strengthening a diverse and collaborative statewide oral health network through the year one funding will allow for the facilitation of a process through which the network can co-create long-term strategies for Year 2 that creates a viable, inclusive and responsive model for systems change that reduces oral health inequities and improves oral health across the lifespan. $150,800 will be used to support personnel time to oversee network development, travel and meeting expenses, support in-person and remote convenings, and contracted services for meeting facilitation, grassroots engagement, and project evaluation. This proposal is aligned with two Oral Health 2020 Goals 1) improving public perception of the value of oral health within overall health and the associated target that oral health is increasingly included in health dialogue and public policy and 2) eradicating dental disease in children and the target that, with the closing of disparity gaps, 85% of children reach age 5 without a cavity by 2020.