PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2017
Our mission is to change lives by connecting communities with resources to drive access to care, increase health literacy and advocate for policies that improve overall health through better oral health for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable.
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT & CEO Greetings!
At Oral Health America (OHA), we strive to change lives by connecting communities with resources to drive access to care, increase health literacy and advocate for policies that improve overall health through better oral healthcare for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. Your past generosity has helped Oral Health America to assist our community partners with resources that address critical oral health issues impacting children and older adults. While we strive to educate and advocate for all Americans, our resources are prioritized for those most vulnerable and for that we thank you. As you will read in the enclosed newsletter, in 2016, our Smiles Across America® program worked with 388 partners to prevent oral disease for more than 501,000 children. Through our Wisdom Tooth Project®, we are improving the lives of the 250,000 people turning 65 each month by providing resources through our website toothwisdom.org and our Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth workshops being piloted with several thousand seniors in five states in Area Agencies for Aging. Because of your philanthropy, our efforts are changing lives in communities from Maine to California and Montana to Florida. But more needs to be done. Please consider supporting our work. You will help OHA reach families of all types, advocate for access to better resources for people whose voices are not heard and connect all Americans with information about the importance of oral health. Your gifts will enable us to achieve our mission and create opportunities for the delivery of high quality, innovative oral healthcare options for individuals and families.
For information about Blended Giving for Oral Health America, contact Tamara Reed Tran, Chief Advancement Officer, at tamara.reed.tran@oralhealthamerica.org or 312-836-9900.
ORAL HEALTH AMERICA 180 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601 312-836-9900 l oralhealthamerica.org info@oralhealthamerica.org OralHealthAmerica
oral-health-america
smile4health
Having a healthy mouth is key to staying healthy. We need your support for all of OHA’s work so that no Americans have to go without needed oral healthcare. With gratitude,
Beth Truett President & CEO
Oral Health America (OHA) continues its mission to change lives by connecting communities with resources to drive access to care, increase health literacy and advocate for policies that improve overall health through better oral health for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. Thanks to the generosity of donors like yourself, OHA is able to deliver the programs, services and campaign goals we have promised to achieve.
SMILES ACROSS AMERICA® (SAA)
WISDOM TOOTH PROJECT® (WTP) The Wisdom Tooth Project® aims to change the lives of older adults vulnerable to oral disease. Toothwisdom.org. OHA’s older adult website is designed for both older adults and their caregivers, and receives over 30,000 pageviews a month. The site will relaunch in 2017 with a focus on assisting older adults find oral health information and services.
Smiles Across America® supports preventive oral healthcare in school-based or school-linked settings.
A State of Decay. Volume III of A State of Decay was released in 2016. This publication included a state-by-state analysis of service delivery and public health factors affecting older adult oral health.
Program Success. The Smiles Across America Program celebrated its 12 th anniversary in 2016, providing more than $250,000 in funding for school-based oral health programs; dental product valued at nearly $500,000 for 388 Smiles Across America community partners; and technical assistance to enhance knowledge and effectiveness. OHA also introduced the Human Centered Design concept to increase community enthusiasm for and involvement in school-based oral health services.
Tooth Wisdom®: Get Smart About Your Mouth. These workshops, developed by OHA, focus on prevention. They were offered in five pilot markets in collaboration with Area Agencies on Aging and the American Dental Hygienists Association. During 2016, OHA reached approximately 1,200 older adults; in 2017, the beta workshops will impact 1,800 older adults and lay the groundwork for national dissemination of the workshops in 2018.
Partners. Through partners in 47 states, OHA served 501,000 children in school -based settings, helping them receive preventive services. OHA partners continue to receive donated units of dental product distributed annually in collaboration with industry manufacturers. Webinar Series. Partners are eligible to participate in our complimentary bi -monthly Webinar series. In 2016 we featured topics like “Oral Health & Poverty: Addressing Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Pediatric Dental Caries” and “Brush Text: Using Multimedia Text Messaging to Improve the Oral Health of Rural Head Start Children.” LOOKING FORWARD IN 2017
Serve at least 500,000 children through Capacity Building Grants of $5,000 to $20,000 awarded within our national network of school-based oral health programs.
Expand Smiles Across America to Early Head Start and Head Start programs.
Implement the Human Centered Design Project in three markets to increase community commitment to school-based oral health programs and improve school outcomes. Sponsor a 4th Biennial Conference in Denver for program partners across the country to strengthen operations and enhance the efficacy of the Smiles Across America support system through learning by sharing.
Increase the Smiles Across America Product Donation’s impact on community programs by stewarding relationships and adding more consumer and professional corporate participants.
2016 Older Americans Reauthorization Act. OHA advocated among aging organizations and legislators to include an oral health provision within the 2016 Older Americans Reauthorization Act. Signed by President Obama in April 2016, aging organizations can now direct health promotion and prevention funds for oral health screenings. Medicare. In partnership with the DentaQuest Foundation’s Oral Health 2020 initiative, OHA has become a recognized leader in working toward adding an oral health benefit to Medicare. LOOKING FORWARD IN 2017 Continue to reach older adults through Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth beta pilots and build capacity to expand nationally through online training of hygienists and allied health professionals. Strengthen technical assistance and communications with allied groups focused on access to care, education and wellness through webinars with CE credits and a Share & Learn National Conference. Build strategic partnerships internal and external to the dental community with emphasis on associations and nonprofits working on associated health and wellness issues that impact seniors. Conduct research with Brandies University’s Heller School of Social Policy & Management in preparation for publishing A State of Decay, Volume IV in 2018.
CAMPAIGN FOR ORAL HEALTH EQUITY (COHE) The Campaign for Oral Health Equity educates the public, including policymakers, about the importance of oral health for overall health, and emphasizes the need to prioritize oral diseases along with other chronic health conditions. Single-year Campaign. In 2016 OHA launched a single year-long campaign focused on increasing health equity across the lifespan. In each of 2016’s four quarters OHA partnered with related organizations to highlight the importance of oral health on overall health. While never abandoning the basics of personal and professional care, OHA expanded to appropriately link oral health with issues not isolated to mouth care – an initiative that continues for 2017.
Children. This campaign focused revolved around the relationship between nutrition and children’s oral health. Teens. This campaign addressed the many challenges teens face in maintaining good oral health, including tobacco, sports drinks, HPV and sports-related injuries. Families. This campaign included our annual Fall for Smiles initiative, which educates communities about the importance of healthy food choices, regular dental visits, brushing and flossing your teeth, and avoiding tobacco. In 2016 OHA focused on Grandfamilies, families in which children reside with and are being raised by grandparents. Our Fall for Smiles activity booklet was distributed to more than 125,000 dental offices. Older Adults. This campaign provided education and resources to older adults and caregivers to help them maintain their smiles across the lifespan.
LOOKING FORWARD IN 2017
Increase awareness through a national marketing campaign. Increase awareness to the general public that culminates at a Brush-a-thon on November 19 where we hope to reach hundreds of children and parents.
PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE NEWSLETTER APRIL 2017
Our mission is to change lives by connecting communities with resources to drive access to care, increase health literacy and advocate for policies that improve overall health through better oral health for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable.
FROM THE DESK OF THE PRESIDENT & CEO Greetings!
At Oral Health America (OHA), we strive to change lives by connecting communities with resources to drive access to care, increase health literacy and advocate for policies that improve overall health through better oral healthcare for all Americans, especially those most vulnerable. Your past generosity has helped Oral Health America to assist our community partners with resources that address critical oral health issues impacting children and older adults. While we strive to educate and advocate for all Americans, our resources are prioritized for those most vulnerable and for that we thank you. As you will read in the enclosed newsletter, in 2016, our Smiles Across America® program worked with 388 partners to prevent oral disease for more than 501,000 children. Through our Wisdom Tooth Project®, we are improving the lives of the 250,000 people turning 65 each month by providing resources through our website toothwisdom.org and our Tooth Wisdom: Get Smart About Your Mouth workshops being piloted with several thousand seniors in five states in Area Agencies for Aging. Because of your philanthropy, our efforts are changing lives in communities from Maine to California and Montana to Florida. But more needs to be done. Please consider supporting our work. You will help OHA reach families of all types, advocate for access to better resources for people whose voices are not heard and connect all Americans with information about the importance of oral health. Your gifts will enable us to achieve our mission and create opportunities for the delivery of high quality, innovative oral healthcare options for individuals and families.
For information about Blended Giving for Oral Health America, contact Tamara Reed Tran, Chief Advancement Officer, at tamara.reed.tran@oralhealthamerica.org or 312-836-9900.
ORAL HEALTH AMERICA 180 North Michigan Avenue, Suite 1150, Chicago, IL 60601 312-836-9900 l oralhealthamerica.org info@oralhealthamerica.org OralHealthAmerica
oral-health-america
smile4health
Having a healthy mouth is key to staying healthy. We need your support for all of OHA’s work so that no Americans have to go without needed oral healthcare. With gratitude,
Beth Truett President & CEO