Equity and Community Engagement in Statewide Oral Health Policy Advocacy: An Analysis of the Field and Recommendations for Improvement
Last year, with the support of the CareQuest Institute for Oral Health, Community Catalyst embarked on a research project to answer the question: What can advocates, funders and community-based organizations (CBOs) do to improve the oral health of communities suffering disproportionate harm from dental disease and related health complications?
After conducting interviews with statewide advocacy organizations, CBOs and funders in 12 states, we are proud to present our findings: Equity and Community Engagement in Statewide Oral Health Policy Advocacy: An Analysis of the Field and Recommendations for Improvement. The report and executive summary provide key data and recommendations to more effectively build partnerships that promote sustainable, equity-informed, community-driven advocacy.
For funders, this resource should guide your thinking on how to meaningfully invest and support this critical work, including providing multi-year funding if authentic and meaningful community engagement is your goal.
For advocates, this resource reinforces that community engagement, relationship-building, and policy change all take time, and multi-year grants and flexible funding are critical to support this work. It also underscores the importance of broad-based partnerships and community-engagement in advancing oral health advocacy, both of which require time, staff and resources.