1701-12715

This investment supports the Michigan Oral Health Coalition in its effort to continue the Midwest Collaborative, in partnership with Oral Health Kansas and the Wisconsin Oral Health Coalition, to provide resources, learning opportunities, and technical assistance to 19 local oral health coalitions across the three states. Specifically, each state will renew its partnership with the selected communities, develop a technical assistance plan based on the needs of local coalitions identified in a 2016 assessment, continue the webinar series with topics ranging from oral health advocacy to health equity; and convene regional summits to engage key local stakeholders. Participating communities have an established infrastructure that supports ongoing communication and learning. This regional network will connect local coalitions to state and national networks, develop a common vision of systems change necessary for an oral health movement, and provide participating communities with access to resources, knowledge, and oral health data necessary to enact large-scale change. $561,536 will be used to support the time of each community development specialist needed to assist in program development and expansion efforts and to provide technical assistance to local coalitions; the development of educational webinars, print program materials, advocacy and data reports, and to maintain sections of the three coalitions’ websites related to the initiative and Oral Health 2020; in-state travel for Kansas, Michigan and Wisconsin development activities, trainings, surveys, and presentations as well as out-of-state invitations to present on the Oral Health 2020 movement and Michigan’s initiative; and meeting expenses and administrative costs associated with the project's implementation. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 Goal to improve the public perception of the value of oral health to overall health and the target that oral health is increasingly included in health dialogue and public policy.