ORAL HEALTH COALITIONS A CRITICAL ELEMENT OF SUCCESS…BUT WHY? Minnesota Oral Health Summit January 23, 2009
Jun 29, 2015
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 [email protected] or at 785.393.0039.