G-2411-22262

Suwannee River Area Health Education Center is the fiscal sponsor for Floridians for Dental Access (FLDA), Florida’s leading oral health advocacy coalition led and composed of dental experts aiming to transform policy into practice.

FLDA has been funded by CareQuest Institute since 2021. Through their previous grant, they supported the passage of Senate Bill 1600 on Universal License Recognition (ULR) for licensed health professionals, including dentists and dental hygienists. However, currently, the state has not joined the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact that creates reciprocity. They also received significant media recognition focused on Florida’s high emergency department usage rates by children for non-traumatic dental conditions. Additionally, FLDA expanded their membership from 65 organizations and individuals to over 210 organizations, dental and other health professionals, and individuals.

Building on these efforts, FLDA will continue to expand its influence, reach, and credibility as the statewide “policy and fact hub” on Florida’s oral health crisis and dental therapy workforce reform. This involves continually gathering and updating data about the oral health crisis in Florida, consulting with partners who have access to relevant data, and maintaining participation in national coalitions and workgroups focused on dental therapy. FLDA will also continue efforts to grow its coalition by reaching out to dentists, other health professionals, organizations, and interested individuals.

FLDA will broaden BIPOC leadership and membership by actively engaging leaders of BIPOC communities throughout Florida in decision-making opportunities and strategy discussions. This includes soliciting input through quarterly Steering Committee meetings, conducting outreach to BIPOC community leaders, and engaging community leaders in Tampa Bay and South Florida through in-person meetings. FLDA will also convene editorial board meetings with Florida newspapers to garner editorial support for oral health equity through dental therapy.

FLDA will continue efforts to pass dental therapy (DT) legislation in 2025 with 2026 as a fallback year. This involves supporting bill sponsors in the House and Senate, maintaining communication with legislative leadership, providing written and oral testimony at committee hearings, and alerting FLDA members to contact their local legislators about dental therapy bills. In conjunction with DT authorization, FLDA will develop appropriations legislation to support several dental therapy education programs and provide technical support to ensure the early start-up of these programs. This includes developing a model budget for implementing dental therapy education programs, working with appropriations staff to develop related legislation, advocating for an appropriations budget for education programs, identifying dental hygiene education programs committed to implementing dental therapy education programs, and assisting them in gaining CODA approval.

By engaging with a diverse range of stakeholders, FLDA aims to create a comprehensive understanding of the barriers to oral health care and develop actionable strategies to improve access and outcomes for underserved populations. The findings from these efforts will be shared through various channels, including webinars, publications, and online promotion. FLDA will also present these findings at statewide, regional, and national conferences and gatherings. These efforts will help initiate discussions on legislative policy changes around oral health and social determinants of health with Florida policymakers.

The budget for this proposal is $115,464, which represents 10% of the total organizational budget. Included in the budget are funds for salaries, meeting costs and subcontracts with organizations serving on the subcommittee to provide testimony on lived experience.