1705-13323

This investment supports the Texas Health Institute in partnership with the Texas Oral Health Coalition to act as backbone support for the Texas oral health network, continuing to develop its strength, breadth, and depth as a collaborative effort to reshape the public dialogue around oral health in Texas. Specifically, Texas Health Institute will continue to support workgroups formed to engage network members in developing strong capacities around research, interprofessional practice, policy, equity, and communication. The strengthened network will work inside of a framework designed to promote engagement in oral health issues and a responsive capacity for emergent issues. This proposal will support the Oral Health 2020 goal to improve the public perception of the value of oral health and the target that by 2020, oral health is increasingly included in health dialogue and public policy. $167,000 supports staffing to facilitate these groups, build and maintain relationships with network members, and support implementation of network-identified activities.