1701-12716

California: This investment supports the Department of Health Services Sonoma County to continue expansion and capacity building efforts of the Dental Health Network serving Sonoma County to enact locally-driven and equity-focused systems change. Specifically, the Department of Health Services will continue to serve as the backbone organization of this countywide effort. Since the first DQF grant in 2015, the DHN membership has grown to over 70 individuals and 28 agencies. While the first two years of support focused on infrastructure development (hiring a facilitation firm to provide guidance for the early stages of network building, hosted first two annual oral health summits, springboard of a 10-month strategic planning process), through an intensive mutli-stakeholder, collaborative planning process the DHN ended 2016 with the first ever Sonoma County Dental Health Strategic Plan (with goals/strategies running from 2017 targeted for 2020). DQF renewal funding will be used to implement the first year of strategies outlined in the Sonoma County Dental Health Strategic Plan (2017-2018). The overarching DHN strategic plan vision for 2017-2020 is to achieve 75% Cavity Free 5 Year Olds by 2020, specifically closing disparity gaps among target populations in Sonoma County. Through the action and efforts of Sonoma County DHN four action teams (leadership and sustainability, community engagement and education, integrated services, and evaluation and surveillance), one for each strategic plan goal area, the local network will work towards obtainment of the county-specific oral health 2020 goals. Integrated within each of the goal areas include Sonoma County DHN efforts around implementation of PIOHQI, DTI/LDPP, Kindergarten mandate, etc. While continuing to work at the county and local levels, the Sonoma County DHN will affect state financing and policy change directly through unique and innovative approaches to improving oral health, and will work through grassroots and county stakeholders to engage state and federal legislators to promote funding and legislation that improves oral health while reducing disparity gaps among targeted populations. $169,945 will be used to support staff time to oversee the Dental Health Network, coordinate emergent activities of action teams, plan and design the annual summit, and engage community partners; travel to the state capital for meetings with Dental Director; and administrative costs associated with the implementation of this work. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal of eradicating dental disease in children and the target that, with the closing of disparity gaps, 85% of children reach age 5 without a cavity.