ORAL HEALTH COALITIONS A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF SUCCESS...BUT WHY?

ORAL HEALTH COALITIONSA CRITICAL ELEMENT OF SUCCESS…BUT WHY?

Minnesota Oral Health SummitJanuary 23, 2009

What is a Coalition?

Definition: a group of individuals and/or organizations with a common interest who agree to work together toward a common goal.

Coalitions may be loose associations in which members work for a short time to achieve a specific goal, and then disband, or they may also become organizations in themselves, with governing bodies, particular community responsibilities, funding, and permanence.

Regardless of their size and structure, they exist to create and/or support efforts to reach a particular set of goals.

Goals of a Coalition

Coalition goals are as varied as coalitions themselves, but often contain elements of one or more of the following:

Influencing or developing public policy, usually around a specific issue.

Changing people's behavior.

Building a healthy community.

Why Develop a Coaliltion?

Concentrate the community's focus on a particular problem.

Create alliances among those who might not normally work together.

Keep the community's approach to issues consistent.

Early View of Oral Health in Kansas No dental school, limited number of dental

hygiene programs Very limited dental services offered in safety net

clinics No Medicaid coverage for adult dental services Very few providers accepting Medicaid or SCHIP No state leadership or funding Relatively no data Programs focused at the community level, with

little impact LOTS of frustration One pricipal funder with oral health as a priority

(interest in community water fluoridation)

The Straw that Broke the Camel’s Back

Something Had to be Done!

The answer? A coalition! Convened multiple interested stakeholders Formed steering committee Engaged professional support Initiated regular communication Determined areas of priority Created a short-term strategic plan Hired an Executive Director Oral Health Kansas (OHK) was born in 2003

OHK Mission & Priorities

Mission: To improve oralhealth in Kansasthrough

advocacy,public

awarenessand education

Priority Areas: Workforce Access to Care Prevention Oral Health

Status Leadership

OHK Public Policy Success

State office of oral health & dental director Legislative task force on access for adults Medicaid reimbursement to physicians for application of

fluoride varnish AEGD clinical residency program Extension of Medicaid dental benefits to certain adult

populations (frail elders; developmentally and physically disabled and head injured; pregnant women)

Extended Care Permit law for registered dental hygienists Changes made to the Dental Practice Act to allow rural

areas more flexibility to hire dental providers Oral health included in health reform conversation

OHK Programs and Projects

Annual oral health conference Dental Champions Leadership Program Extended Care Permit project designed to increase

the number of RDH’s and community based programs providing preventive oral health services

System of care projects for specific populations, including the developmentally disabled and frail elders

Sponsored reports: The Declining Supply of Dental Services: Implications for Access and Options for Reform (KHI, 2005) and Kansas Health Reform: Options for Adding Dental Benefits (NASHP, 2008); Oral Health Report Card (OHA, 2009)

Elements of Success

Vision, leadership & passion Collaboration Funding Members from multiple

disciplines, including some “unusual suspects”

Advocay infused throughout all priority areas

Coalition independent of the OOH Focus on systems level change,

in advocacy & programs Decisions made by consensus,

put off issues that caused controversy

Early victories = trust & credibility

A View of Kansas Today

Increase in the number of dentists accepting Medicaid/SCHIP

Educational opportunities soon to be available for dentists through AEGD program, increased number of dental hygiene training programs

Safety net clinic capacity has nearly tripled since 2003, thanks in large part to the shared investments of private philanthropy and the state of Kansas

Dental “hub and spoke” model implemented in the safety net system

Approximately 90 RDH’s now taking advantage of Extended Care Permits

And, Kansas’ Grade Today?

Resources

Coalition building: University of Kansas Community Tool Box at www.ctb.ku.edu

Kansas oral health data and reports: Kansas Health Institute at www.khi.org

Oral Health Kansas at www.oralhealthkansas.org

Contact me: Teresa Schwab at tschwab@sunflower.com or at 785.393.0039.