1609-12453

Pennsylvania: This investment supports the Pennsylvania Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (PAAAP) to continue acting as the backbone organization for the Pennsylvania Oral Health Collective Impact Initiative (POHCII), which in addition to PAAAP includes the Pennsylvania Head Start Association (PHSA), the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH), and the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC). The POHCII partners will work together to collaboratively change the culture in Pennsylvania to one that recognizes oral health as an essential component of overall health. Specifically, the four partner organizations will focus on cultivating and growing its statewide network, developing a model for sustainability, leading policy development, and expanding educational outreach to support oral health expansion in Pennsylvania. In addition, POCHII will work in a unified and aligned effort to empower PCOH to take a leading role in leveraging and aligning collective efforts across the state through strategic outreach and structured communication. By doing so, POHCII will support improvement across all four systems, and will help achieve the Oral Health 2020 goals of eradicating dental disease in children with closing of disparity gaps and ensuring the inclusion of an extensive adult benefit in publicly funded health coverage. $562,099 will support the coordination and implementation of the proposed work across four organizations and include staff time, operations, travel and meeting expenses, and project materials.