GRANT00260

Continued funding to The Alachua County Health Department (ACHD) to support Oral Health Alachua, a community-based initiative that will result in improved oral heath among the residents of Alachua County, Florida. This project, a collaboration between the ACHD and the University of Florida College of Dentistry (COD), has been a successful integration of several priorities including: community collaboration, surveillance, and access to care and prevention. The Oral Health Alachua Project has been successful and seen as a countywide asset. The coalition has offered providers access to each other and the community at large and has provided a focal point for oral health issues, supporting advocacy for policy and systems change. ACHD will provide surveillance tools to monitor the oral healthcare system, work to expand the safety net, and promote widespread delivery of oral health preventive services – all of which are important for the improvement of oral health in Alachua County. Alachua County’s surveillance system has become the model for the state oral health coalition, Oral Health Florida. By mobilizing a broad-based membership to build capacity for the Coalition and increase engagement of community stakeholders, ACHD is promoting consistent oral health messaging to facilitate implementation of solutions for their county.