1802-13889

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 proposal will build on key successes from last year, including informing and engaging community, iterating oral health as a public health priority, form and facilitate an Oral Health Policy Messaging Work Group, improving public oral health knowledge and perception, develop policy messages, educational materials and outreach strategies. Also notably presented at the 2017 APHA Annual Meeting on the oral health work done last year. In the current proposal the work will more specifically look like interviewing and surveying providers to capture the challenges they face, convening cross-sector providers to create a road ma for oral health in the Central Valley, develop a communications campaign that targets providers, educators, public, and policy makers, develop an Oral Health Curriculum for promotores/community health workers and begin building the initial pieces of a Central California Oral Health Coalition. 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.