1802-13898

The purpose of this grant is to continue to build the capacity of healthcare consumers in Florida 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. The work in this proposal builds off of key successes from last year including maintaining and organizing local interdisciplinary and community partnerships, leading and evaluation social messaging campaigns and testing them against the Frameworks Toolkit, collaborating with other Florida partners such as Catalyst Miami, Florida Voices for Health, and FIHI to host a state convening and get alignment on priorities, and re-building structural relationship with core partner in Wimauma Community Developmet Corporation, as well as engaging in local and state level systems change related to Medicaid and the ACA. The work in the current proposal more specifically will focus on 3 priorities: 1) community collaborations and increasing the number of active and trained advocates taking action that support expanding access to care 2) education and advocacy that will align and focus efforts around prioritized policy and systems change opportunities and 3) emerging needs and balancing the systems-change approach with the immediate needs that vulnerable communities need. 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 $100,000 and is primarily to support staff time, travel and resources necessary to deepen community connections.