G-2107-17118

Grant Project Title
The Fund for a Healthier Colorado's Oral Health Equity Project:
Dental Therapy for Colorado
Grantee Address

The Fund for a Healthier Colorado
303 East 17th Ave suite 405
Denver, CO
United States

The Fund for a Healthier Colorado is a non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to advance policies that improve the health of Colorado residents. Colorado residents face a significant lack of access to oral health providers, especially in rural areas of the state, with five counties without a single licensed dentist and less than ten Medicaid providers operating in half of all Colorado counties. To address this issue, The Fund for a Healthier Colorado and its partners are seeking to develop an equity-focused dental therapy license through the community college system, specifically working with the Community College System Association. This will allow individuals to receive quality, affordable education close to their homes and practice dental therapy within their own communities, which in turn would address the access gap.

The Fund for a Healthier Colorado started this work last year through a partnership with Community Catalyst. Last year, the Fund for a Healthier Colorado began the groundwork for this project by conducting focus groups around oral health, performing community partner interviews, and collecting stories about the barriers to oral healthcare for vulnerable communities in Colorado. This year, The Fund for a Healthier Colorado will work with several partners to ensure that a dental therapy policy meets the needs of folks who disproportionately experience poor oral health outcomes. Partners specifically mentioned in the proposal include Colorado Coalition for the Homeless, Colorado Cross Disability Coalition and Four Corners Youth Clinics. At the current time, The Fund for a Healthier Colorado has developed an outline for a dental therapy policy that will continue to expand and evolve in coalition with a minimum of eight dedicated partners in the upcoming year. In its current state, the policy dictates that licensed dental therapists may perform diagnostic procedures, preventative procedures, restorative procedures and non-surgical extractions. Beyond licensure, there will be no minimum degree necessary to practice dental therapy.

Outside of direct policy development, The Fund for a Healthier Colorado will work to garner public and legislative buy-in for dental therapy by lifting community stories to educate decision-makers and stakeholders around the benefits of implementing dental therapy. The Fund for a Healthier Colorado has identified ten legislators on both sides of the aisle to target in their advocacy work, and in their proposal, share anecdotally that the Governor and Lt Governor have expressed support for dental therapy. Twelve community champions will be trained to deliver legislative testimony and speak to members of the press about dental therapy.

Approximately half of the budget is allocated for staff time, and the remainder of funds are associated with marketing materials for the advocacy campaign. This request represents 9% of the organization’s overall budget.

Grant Date
-
Grant Amount
$106500.00