HARTFORD, CT –The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) board of directors recently awarded two-year $40,000 grants to organizations to expand their health policy agenda to include advocacy for better dental health for low-income residents. CT Health’s Oral Health Advocacy and Leadership Initiative, a grant program of the foundation, seeks to expand oral health champions beyond traditional “teeth people,” or dental professionals.
Each organization receiving a grant will build upon its own unique strengths and networks to accomplish one of the key objectives, which is to develop and implement an oral health advocacy policy agenda that gets the attention of policy makers about the need to maintain access and quality dental health for low-income residents.
“Oral health is a strategic imperative of CT Health, as it is a critical component of health and well-being,” says Patricia Baker, president & CEO of the Connecticut Health Foundation. “But dental health issues can get lost in the rapidly evolving health care environment. Connecticut needs an expanded network of advocates to work toward access to quality dental health care, particularly for underserved residents.”
“As a united group, these advocacy leaders working in partnership with community, consumers, providers and others have the potential to elevate oral health, often interpreted as a separate entity, as essential and integral to overall health and well-being,” says Yolanda Caldera Durant, senior program officer at CT Health.
The organizations receiving oral health advocacy grants are:
- Connecticut Association of School Based Health Centers (SBHC) (North Haven) plans to strengthen SBHCs, a safety net for students in elementary, middle and high schools, by promoting the integration of dental health care into primary care services; and bringing the voices of students into this work to also advocate for improved oral health access.
- Quinnipiac Valley Health District (North Haven) proposes to create a district-wide oral health awareness educational campaign and build a community of advocates to focus on policies for low-to-moderate income families and senior citizens.
- United Connecticut Action for Neighborhoods (Hartford) plans to mobilize and engage 500 low-income consumers and 50 leaders in advocacy that focuses on access, quality and affordability.
“This grant opportunity will enable Quinnipiack Valley Health District to work collaboratively with the community to build public awareness about the importance of oral health, have an impact on current and future policy and promote the inclusion of oral health services across the lifespan,” says V. Deborah Culligan, spokesperson for Quinnipiack Valley Health District.
OTHER GRANTS AWARDED
- Institute for Community Research (Hartford) received a five-month $60,000 grant to examine why some dental practices are reluctant to treat pregnant women. Findings will be used to develop an intervention (or test a program) aimed at reducing dental practices’ resistance to treating pregnant women.
- The Connecticut News Project, Inc./CTMirror (Hartford) was awarded a one-year $75,000 general operating grant to support health reporting and data visualization that focuses on the complexities associated with navigating the health care system.
PRESIDENT’S DISCRETIONARY GRANTS
- Connecticut Health Investigative Team (New Haven)was awarded a $25,000 one-year grant to produce 10 high-impact stories primarily related to health disparities and health equity, and to expand coverage of health issues affecting women and children, as well as access and new directions in health care.
- HartBeat Ensemble (Hartford) was awarded a one-year $13,000 grant to support its initiative, “Health in Focus,” to educate and empower Greater Hartford residents using performance and conversation, about health issues and diseases that affect them.
About the Connecticut Health Foundation
The Connecticut Health Foundation (CT Health) is the state’s largest independent health philanthropy dedicated to improving lives by changing health systems. Since it was established in July 1999, the foundation has supported innovative grant-making, public health policy research, technical assistance and convening to achieve its mission – to improve the health of the people of Connecticut. Over the past 15 years, CT Health has awarded grants totaling approximately $53 million in 45 cities and towns throughout the state.
In April 2013, CT Health announced its five-year strategic plan to transition to expand health equity as a focus. For CT Health, health equity means helping more people gain access to better care, especially people of color. Better care includes physical, mental, and oral health.
For more information about the foundation, please visit www.cthealth.org or contact Senior Communications Officer Maryland Grier at Maryland@cthealth.org or 860.724.1580, ext. 21.