1802-13885

The purpose of this grant is to continue to build the capacity of healthcare consumers in California to meaningfully engage in policy and systems change; to improve the public perception of the value of oral health to overall health; to enhance collaborative, cross-blade infrastructure processes, shared power, and decision-making; and to elevate health equity and social justice approaches within the Oral Health 2020 Network that are fully informed by, and reflective of, community voices. This work will build on key successes in 2017 that include restoration of an adult dental benefit, a deep coordinated network of Core Partners who are active in policy and systems change, and greatly increased resources created that are culturally and linguistically accessible to a variety of communities. Specifically, this year will focus on three overarching goals of 1) increasing local partners understanding of oral health issues and promoting health integration 2) advocating and centering the grassroots voice on recent policy change and upcoming policy implementation and 3) expanding the accessibility of key resources to reach a broader community. This aligns with the OH2020 goal of shifting the public perception of oral health with a target of increasing oral health in overall health dialogue and in public policy. The budget for this proposal is $100,800 and is primarily to support staff time, travel and resources necessary to deepen community connections.