dqf2019085

Colorado: This investment supports Oral Health Colorado (OHCO) to expand and strengthen the oral health network in Colorado and develop a multi-stakeholder advocacy effort to build public will and advocacy for oral health priroties. Specifically, OHCO will engage in targeted activities to recruit and mobilize broad support to establish oral health as a community priority and oversee a process in which the Smart Mouths Smart Kids (SMSK) toolkit is finalized and transferred to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment to provide schools with the resources and strategies necessary for successfully implementing a school oral health program. Expanding this network in Colorado will impact oral health across many strategic levels, including expanding public policy to improve oral health, increasing community engagement around the importance of oral health and its link to overall health and wellness, and building the capacity of network members to respond to urgent, emerging issues surrounding oral health throughout the state. Supporting the development and sustainability of the SMSK toolkit will equip schools in Colorado to fully integrate oral health into their systems and support OHCO’s efforts in building public will for school oral health programs by engaging school planning team and network members in the process. $202,425 will be used to support personnel time to develop and implement strategies designed to enhance the network structure and effectiveness; meeting expenses to support convenings that foster in-person learning and collaborations; consultants to support the implementation of the work; and travel expenses for personnel and consultants. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 Goal 4 of eradicating dental disease in children and the target that 75% of children reach age 5 without a cavity.