1609-12514

This investment supports Student Health Support Services d/b/a the Los Angeles Trust for Children's Health (L.A. Trust) to serve as the backbone organization in Los Angeles County, partnering with local providers and community-based organizations to spread a district-wide Oral Health Initiative, and participate in the learning collaborative with School-Based Health Alliance. The initiative has effectively integrated oral health care assessment and early intervention across school campuses in the high-need area of Los Angeles County. This year of funding will focus on increasing family engagement around oral health, building strong systems for referral and care coordination, and establishing community hubs in which students and families can access continual care. Specifically, L.A. Trust will leverage its network to increase compliance with the kindergarten mandate for oral health assessment, engage community dental providers to coordinate the Oral Health Initiative, and increase the number of referrals to school and community providers for restorative care, resulting in improved access to care for underserved populations. L.A. Trust will also continue its role participating in the learning community around implementing effective and holistic school-based oral health programs. $227,000 will be used to support personnel time to manage the day-to-day activities of the project work plan, communicate and convene project partners and staff, and provide overall program direction; local travel to conduct project activities and events; administrative costs associated with the implementation of the work; and a robust evaluation of the impact of the proposed activities. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal of incorporating oral health into the primary education system and the target that by 2020, oral health is incorporated into the systems of the 10 largest school districts.