1701-12793

The investment supports the Arizona American Indian Oral Health Initiative (AAIOHI) as it works to continue to engage and partner with tribal leaders to build the capacity of tribal coalitions around oral health issues, increase their awareness of effective oral health interventions, and promote ways for tribal leaders to engage in policy development in the state of Arizona. Specifically, AAIOHI will provide trainings and educational opportunities for tribal coalitions around effective oral health interventions, assist tribes in the development of oral health plans, engage and inform tribes in oral health policy and advocacy, and host and convene a best practices forum to explore alternative care delivery models. This model of engagement of local tribal coalitions has been effective, resulting in the development of nine tribal oral health coalitions, two oral health summits attended by tribal leaders and representatives from Indian Health Services, and a legislative forum that focused on the statewide policy issues impacting American Indian populations and explored opportunities for tribes to engage in legislative policy and advocacy efforts. Partnering with AAIOHI will allow us to work together to develop a collaborative structure among tribal coalitions and make important connections with what is happening in Arizona to ongoing advances at the national level. $185,000 will be used to support staff time to coordinate and facilitate ongoing interactions with tribal leaders; travel and meeting expenses associated with on-site reservation meetings, Statewide Executive Committee meetings, a Best Practices in Oral Health Forum focused on exploring other workforce models; and administrative costs necessary for the project’s implementation. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 goal of eradicating dental disease in children and the target of having 85% of children reach age 5 without a cavity.