1702-12975

Pennsylvania: Support to ACHIEVA/The Arch of Greater Pittsburgh to act as a lead convener in the Pittsburgh community as part of the Grassroots Engagement Strategy. With a focus on providing lifelong support to people with disabilities, The Arch of Greater Pittsburgh operates a disability healthcare initiative that works through education, advocacy, and policy change to increase access to care for the disabled. The Arch of Greater Pittsburgh’s key successes in Year 2 included connecting state and national level groups’ ongoing efforts with its Pittsburgh regional partners; initiating conversation with the Pennsylvania Department of Medical Assistance Program and the Office of the Governor regarding costs associated with an enhanced adult Medicaid dental benefit; advocating for the inclusion of adult dental services in the federal Medicaid program; co-hosting a community awareness outreach event in Pittsburgh; and raising awareness regarding oral health care for vulnerable and underserved populations at a number of regional and national conferences. Oral Health 2020 investment of $101,674 will be used to work with legislators, administrative and policymakers, and community self-advocates to champion reviving and enhancing Pennsylvania’s Medicaid adult dental benefit. The Arch of Greater Pittsburgh will also collaborate with deeply-rooted consumer advocacy groups in the Southwestern area and statewide to organize and train self-advocates while the Arch of Greater Pittsburgh works with decision and policymakers to support self-advocate efforts and steer decision makers toward proven oral health solutions. Last but not least, they will also collaborate with a consumer group to help demonstrate the failure of the Benefit Limit Exception mechanism to adequately provide access to oral health care for those with critical health needs. All actions described in the proposal work plan for the Year 3 work were organized around the systems change framework (policy, financing, care and community). This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 Goal 6 of improving 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.