KDA Today

KDA Today

For Immediate Release

Date: Aug 21st, 2014
Contact: Lacey McNary, Kentucky Youth Advocates / Kentucky Oral Health Coalition
Phone: (502) 895-8167 x 117
Email: lmcnary@kyyouth.org

Synergy

synergy  syn·er·gy (sĭn'ər-jē) n.  The interaction of two or more agents or forces so that their combined effect is greater than the sum of their individual effects.


When we think about the oral health landscape of Kentucky – we see opportunity, systems, needs, movement, people, prevention, treatment, links to the past, and a new frontier. We see synergy, cooperation, a network. We are optimistic and hopeful, but also realistic. We are seeking to create a culture of good health through increased oral health literacy, improved access to care for all, and better integration of services into the school setting.

We would like to thank Dr. John Thompson and the Kentucky Dental Association for this opportunity to share the work of the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition with their members. Together we can accomplish much more, and there is so much work to do to improve oral health in Kentucky. We believe that many of our goals align and creating a strong partnership will allow us to have rich meaningful discussions when there are issues that we do not agree upon.

Past and Present
The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition (KOHC) is a group of people, organizations, funders, and other stakeholders who are working together to improve the oral health of Kentuckians. We are doing that by convening a guiding coalition of experts in several disciplines who have credibility, power, influence, and experience. Our coalition includes members who are dentists, hygienists, education leaders, family resource center staff, parents, foundations, health department staff, higher education faculty, nurses and doctors, among others. The KOHC is a young, but strong voice in Kentucky.

The coalition recently re-emerged from a dormant period. In the 90s, University of Louisville and University of Kentucky came together to form the coalition. Many remember the summits, the fundraisers, and the hard work of the group. Kentucky is lucky to have so many public health minded professionals with passion and proactivity who kept the group going for so many years – you know who you are! After a few years, the coalition became dormant, but work continued.

In 2010, the coalition revived due to an infusion of funding and a commitment from a long-standing influential organization to house the work. Kentucky Youth Advocates, a statewide child advocacy organization, had worked on oral health issues for several years. The organization published a report on the topic in 2005 and pushed legislation to establish the kindergarten dental screening bill in 2008.

Because of these successes, work on children’s health issues, and our reach across the state, Kentucky Youth Advocates was approached by the DentaQuest Foundation to convene a new iteration of the coalition. KYA has been able to secure additional funding partners, such as the Foundation for a Healthy Kentucky, is also supported through membership dues. The Kentucky Oral Health Coalition is a part of the 36 statewide coalitions across the country in partnership with the American Network of Oral Health Coalitions (ANOHC).

Priorities
The priorities of the coalition currently include improving oral health awareness of all Kentuckians, expanding school based oral health services, and increasing access to Medicaid services. We believe that many of the policy changes needed to achieve these priorities are in alignment with the Kentucky Dental Association, which is an exciting proposition.

The KOHC has a strong theory of change that includes a belief in the power of networks and collaboration. We see so much room for better collaboration because Kentucky has rich resources all across the state. The resources that I am talking about are people who are doing amazing things to improve oral health. We contend that creating a big tent of passionate and committed voices is the key to systems change. If we can harness the “on the ground” energy from every county we believe that we can get some important “stuff” done.

The “stuff” that we are referring to for the next couple of years includes, but is not limited to the following:
· Revisiting the kindergarten screening: Is the current system and process working? We want to ensure that this is not just a piece of paper that creates a barrier to staying in school – but that it works to improve outcomes for children.
· Instituting a regularly updated oral health surveillance system: Kentucky has not had an oral health surveillance in over a decade. We can’t change what we don’t measure. Many other states have a surveillance system in place to measure outcomes.
· Adoption of a state oral health plan: Again many states have a state oral health plan. It is critical to know what data shows are the problems to address, what research says could solve those problems, what is happening in the state, and what we can all rally around as priorities.
· Increase the number of dentists who serve low income Kentuckians and the number of low income Kentuckians who are treated: We want to see increased transparency in the MCO process, decreased barriers for dental professionals and families in getting care, and more children who have access actually get the treatment they need.
· Improve oral health literacy among Kentuckians: We have talked with many parents and stakeholders in Kentucky and believe that there needs to be a strong sustained effort to create a better understanding and awareness of the importance of oral health and how to have optimal oral health.

Alignment and Synergy
From the above stated priorities it has become clear that KDA and KOHC have several similar interests. The recently announced KyHealthNow initiative of the Governor is another area of alignment. As is covered in this magazine by Dr. John Thompson, KyHealthNow mirrors priorities of both organizations. The goals are pretty lofty, but have merit and can work to galvanize efforts of stakeholders.

We also believe that the inclusion of oral health in this initiative is a big step in integrating oral health in the overall health. It also serves to educate new stakeholders on the need for improved oral health and highlights problems and potential solutions.

How to get involved
There are many ways to get involved in the Kentucky Oral Health Coalition:
· Become a member today. You can find out more at http://kyoralhealthcoalition.org/.
· Talk to a KOHC member about the coalition. Check out our website to view members.
· Participate on a workgroup to address the priorities laid out above.
· Consider how you can better incorporate serving low income families at your practice.
· Partner with your local school or school district to serve more children.
· Contact KDA or KOHC for ways to create awareness about oral health in your community – we both have many tools and resource to share with you.

 

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