Special Projects in Oral Health
The
HRSA/HCFA Oral Health Initiative (OHI) is one of several national
efforts to place attention on the need for improved oral health
care. The Initiative is a collaborative effort of the Health
Resources and Services Administration
(HRSA) and the Health Care Financing Administration (HCFA). I
have had the opportunity to translate our state-community policy
change strategy to our work with the HRSA/HCFA Oral Health Initiative.
Together, we have developed a state oral health strategy whose
purpose is to change both state and local policies and practices
to improve oral health status. The components of the policy change
strategy include:
- Policy
briefing and orientation with/from federal and state staff,
- Purpose
statement, desired outcomes and strategy components for the
state oral health strategy discussed and decided,
- State
Oral Health Summit development and facilitation,
- State
Oral Health Coalition building and development for oral health
improvement,
- Community
meetings to gather information, advice and/or support (5-7
across the state) in follow up to or in preparation for a
state oral health summit, and
- Legislative
briefings and legislation development.
Since
1999, I have worked in Montana,
North
Dakota, Utah, Maryland
and Missouri to implement state oral health improvement strategies.
To read more about our oral health efforts please click here.
I developed a policy brief in February 2001 that describes the
short term outcomes from several state dental summits as a component
of the strategy. Click here
to access that report in adobe acrobat format.
