1802-13896

This investment supports Smart Beginnings Virginia Peninsula (SBVP) to act as a lead convener in the Virginia Peninsula community as part of the Grassroots Engagement Strategy. SBVP has a focus on supporting the health of all children in the community to prepare them to enter the education system ready to learn and succeed in school. Year 3 was focused on working with partner agencies to integrate oral health training into their employee orientation and ongoing staff development programs; attending community events to provide materials, discuss oral health awareness, and identify potential community partners and advocates; developing an emergency department diversion pilot program; and providing oral health training to students in two local schools. In the coming year, SBVP will continue the hospital and school pilot projects; partner with Alternatives, Inc, to embed oral health information into existing child care center and after-school programming; and continue to work with the state oral health coalition to support and influence policy change advocacy. $100,713.24 will support staff time, local travel, communications materials development, and other meeting expenses. This proposal aligns with the Oral Health 2020 Goal 6 of improving the public perception of the value of oral health to overall health and the target that oral health is increasingly included in health dialogue and public policy.