G-2407-21984

Asian Resources, Inc. (ARI), is a California-based direct services and policy advocacy organization that leads a statewide collaborative of community-based organizations and community clinicals that serve a broad range of Asian American, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islanders (AANHPI) communities. ARI provides education, navigation services, and policy advocacy that supports immigrants, limited-English proficient, LGBTQ, disability, and AANHPI communities.

Since 2014, ARI and its partners have led the Oral Health Equity Alliance (OHA) to improve oral health for AANHPI communities in California. ARI has been a CareQuest Institute grantee since 2019 and has been engaged in advocacy and demographic data disaggregation work during this time. ARI is seeking funding to continue its advocacy for culturally and linguistically appropriate care, the expansion of dental coverage as an Essential Health Benefit, the collection and reporting of disaggregated race and ethnicity (r/e) data by state and local public health departments, and the diversification of the workforce through the authorization of Dental Therapy.

ARI’s proposal outlines their collaborative support of Strategic Concepts in Organizing and Policy Education (SCOPE) in the planning and implementation of the Dental Therapy Policy Campaign (DTC). This includes participating in the DTC Steering Committee, conducting power analyses of key stakeholders, developing educational materials, and recruiting additional community-based organizations (CBOs) and stakeholders. ARI will also advocate for Community Health Workers (CHW) by building a network to facilitate information sharing, collaboration, and engagement with state agencies. This effort aims to integrate oral health into CHW roles and influence the development of a statewide certification process.

In addition to supporting DTC efforts, ARI and OHA will advocate for the collection and reporting of disaggregated race and ethnicity data by state and local public health departments. This includes conducting data audits, developing recommendations for improved data practices, and engaging with the California Department of Public Health and local Departments of Public Health to monitor the implementation of Assembly Bill 1726 and the revised Office of Management and Budget Statistical Policy Directive 15. ARI will also push for the inclusion of dental coverage as an Essential Health Benefit in health plans like Medi-Cal and Covered California. This effort involves outreach, education, and enrollment assistance to maximize Medi-Cal enrollment among newly eligible undocumented populations.

The recommended amount totals $150,000, which has remained the same award amount since 2021. Of that amount, approximately 60% of the funds will be allocated to seven personnel roles, 40% will be allocated toward subcontracted partners and the remaining portion of the budget will be used to cover consultant, communications and associated with their legislative outreach. This request represents 3% of the organization’s operating budget.