Illinois Primary Health Care Association
1999 Wabash Ave.
Springfield, IL
United States
The mission of IFLOSS is to improve oral health in Illinois through advocacy, education, and collaboration. Formed in 1998, the Illinois Department of Public Health provided funding through 2009 with a CDC grant. Sustained with limited revenue from conferences and contracted projects through 2019, the pandemic and key volunteer retirements ended the coalition’s viability in 2020. IFLOSS is currently run by three volunteer board co-chairs and seven directors.
This funding will support IFLOSS in hiring a full-time executive director to re-establish a viable state oral health coalition in Illinois. The executive director will be the key management leader of the coalition and be responsible for overseeing administration, programs, strategic planning, fundraising, marketing, and community outreach. The addition of this position allows IFLOSS to focus on two advocacy priorities in 2025: the reauthorization of legislation that created Public Health Dental Hygienists in Illinois (set to sunset 1/1/26), which includes advocating for more Medicaid participation among the state’s dentists, and advocating to enable dental therapy practice in Illinois. Legislation was introduced in 2024 but did not get out of committee, and this will likely be reintroduced in 2025.
IFLOSS held a statewide Illinois Oral Health Conference in July 2024 in partnership with the Illinois Primary Health Care Association (IPHCA). The first time being held since 2019, the conference solidified and highlighted the tremendous workforce challenges around the state. This ask also includes funding to hold another conference in 2026 under direction of the new executive director.
IFLOSS also contracted with the Illinois Department of Public Health to lead development of the 2025 Illinois State Oral Health Plan. As part of that initiative, IFLOSS held eight meetings around the state to solicit community input. Much of the input centered around challenges in accessing care, and the plan will address this.
The budget for this proposal is $200,000, which represents 1% of IPHCA’s overall budget. Funding will support salary, a state oral health conference, and grant writing, accounting, and legal consultant work.