G-1901-14732

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 Progress and Equity Network that are fully informed by, and reflective of, community voices. Being so rooted in the Miami community, Catalyst Miami brings a community-centered voice to the table around the perceptions and needs around oral health. Additionally, they have ongoingly brought an intersectional approach to the oral health space in a way that lifts up the social determinants impacting the communities they serve. In 2019, they will use this lens, and the capacity that they have built as a leader in the oral health space, to drive policy and systems-change. Having a community-centered policy agenda crafted, they will work to build the capacity of stakeholders and constituents to engage in creating oral health equity. This includes providing training, producing informational resources, partnering with other local partners as well as state level partners, and will leverage their role as the backbone of the Miami-Dade Oral Health Network. This aligns with the Oral Health 2020 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 $70,800 and is primarily to support staff time, travel and some support for partners to support at a higher level.