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OPEN
OPEN, an initiative of CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, is a diverse network of individuals and entities who are taking on America’s oral health challenges so that everyone has a chance to thrive. OPEN members use their unique experiences, knowledge, and skills to lead network activities every year, creating collective energy that is driving large-scale change.
Vision & Mission
OPEN has prioritized oral health equity — the attainment of the highest level of health for all people — as a matter of social justice. Members are committed to Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (JEDI) that includes a commitment to systemic change and the assurance of the structural and personal conditions needed to support equity and inclusion for all people.
A Network Approach
What OPEN Means to Me
Over the last decade, OPEN has successfully fueled a nationwide conversation among policymakers, providers, public health activists, and grassroots organizers who understand that today’s system of health care isn’t working for everyone, and that it’s time to work together to build a new reality. We know oral health is essential to overall health and well-being. That’s why OPEN has organized across the country to ensure that face is widely understood and embraced. OPEN puts the power for change into the hands of people who share the same vision about every person’s right to a healthy life. OPEN seeks out diversity in membership and representation from community, state, and national levels, also referred to grassroots, grassmiddles and grasstops. The diversity of experiences, knowledge, and skills of OPEN members, coupled with a shared vision and purpose, create the opportunity for greater collective impact. Individually, we can make progress; together, we transform the world.
What You Can Expect
OPEN Meetings
Connect with the people and organizations that advance oral health equity and social justice. OPEN hosts in-person and virtual meetings for network members to share resources, learn from one another, and align on collective action opportunities. All events are free to attend!
OPEN Communities
A strong network is made up of engaged communities. OPEN Communities is the Network’s online platform featuring resources and discussions related to OPEN topics and focus areas. It is a space to engage with others — to ask questions and find answers, and connect in order to collaborate on topical and emergent issues in the landscape of oral health progress and equity. Access is OPEN for any network member.
Resources, Tools, and Peer Learning
OPEN offers capacity-building training and tools to increase members’ skills. Through shared learning spaces, OPEN members leverage their expertise, knowledge, and resources to advance their own communities’ health and equity goals, as well as contribute to a nationwide landscape where everyone has an equitable opportunity to be healthy.
Upcoming Events
Event | Date | Time (ET) | Location | Registration Link |
| Take 30: Community Water Fluoridation: Facts and Myths | Apr 17 | 3-3:30 p.m. | Online | Register |
| OPEN Advocacy Training: Medicaid | Apr 29 | 1–1:30 p.m. | Online | Register |
| OPEN Advocacy Training: HEADs UP Act | Apr 30 | 1–1:30 p.m. | Online | Register |
| OPEN Advocacy Training: Veterans | May 1 | 1–1:30 p.m. | Online | Register |
| OPEN Advocacy Training: Federal Agencies + Fluoride | May 2 | 1–1:30 p.m. | Online | Register |
| OPEN Advocacy Training: Tips for a Successful Meeting with Member Offices | May 5 | 1–1:30 p.m. | Online | Register |
| Take 30: Get Ready for Our Virtual Day of Action | May 7 | 3–3:30 p.m. | Online | Register |
| Hill Day | May 13-14 | Washington, DC | Registration Closed |
Join Our Community
A strong network is made up of strong communities.