By Ralph Fuccillo, MA, President, DentaQuest
Foundation
In late October, we hosted our third annual Oral Health 2020 National Network Gathering – where more than 250 partners from all 50 states came together to assess the
state of oral health and to further the growth of the network and collective efforts
to improve it. During our time in New Orleans, our grantees and partners were
focused on challenges we still face, best practices to move the the needle on
oral health, and how to better engage their local communities and enact social
change.
We also heard from
leaders who challenged us to think even more broadly about the national oral
health movement, consider new ways to improve oral health and work
collaboratively with all stakeholders. Paul Schmitz, CEO of Leading
Inside Out, led an exciting discussion about collective impact and encouraging
leadership from unconventional sources. Mr. Schmitz presented an interesting
reframing of moments in our history where the emphasis on the actions of one
leading individual allowed us to overlook the value of the collective actions
by multiple people.
Dr. Camara Jones, Senior Fellow at the Satcher Health
Leadership Institute, Morehouse School of Medicine, and President-Elect of the
American Public Health Association, shared thoughts and learning on racism and the
social determinants of health as critical components of attaining oral health
equity. Her suggestions to promote
population health and prevention in the context of health equity were affirmed by
the Foundation’s approach to changing systems by including all voices in the
conversation.
Many of our grantees were able to discuss their own
challenges and progress with Paul and Dr. Jones, and their keynotes provided stimulating
dialogue for the remainder of the event.
From exciting dialogue to crucial problem-solving, there
were many important moments at the convening. But, I wanted to highlight one of
my favorites. Among our partners, we debuted the updated Oral Health 2020 goals,
which now include six goals aimed at
eliminating oral health disparities and improving oral health across the
lifespan.
We raised the stakes by:
- Upping the target for our first goal: 85% of children will reach age five without a cavity
- And adding two new goals:
1.
Oral health will be integrated into at least 50% of emerging person-centered care models.
2.
The public
perception of oral health will be improved by increasingly including it in
health dialogue and public policy.
Across the
lifespan and across the nation, we envision a world where oral health is valued
as essential to overall health. The Oral Health for All 2020 Network has
crafted a strategic roadmap that is comprehensive of all areas that impact oral
health. These goals will continue to drive far-reaching impact, engage
communities and shape improvements at all levels of health policy, care and
access, along with financing methodologies.
The growth
to six achievable goals can only happen through a network of leaders who are
committed to and focused on the promise of collective impact principles and
culture. We are grateful for so many dedicated partners!
You can
learn more about the work of Oral Health 2020, and our grantees and partners by visiting our website, or
following us on Twitter, @OralHealth2020.