[caption id="attachment_9794" align="alignnone" width="480"] DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement - 2019 Grants To-Date By Focus Area (Graphic: Business Wire)[/caption]

BOSTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--2019 grants now total $8.9 M to organizations working to improve oral health

The DentaQuest Partnership for Oral Health Advancement (DentaQuest Partnership) today announced its investment of $2.8 million in organizations across the U.S. dedicated to improving the oral health of all. Today’s announcement captures grants awarded in the second quarter of 2019, with a total of $8.9 million awarded to-date in 2019 and additional funding to be awarded through the end of the year.

This press release features multimedia.

View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20190729005398/en/

The DentaQuest Partnership’s grantmaking strategy focuses on investments that drive systems change in oral health through national and community-based initiatives in key focus areas (illustrated in the chart) and through partnerships and network development, including OPEN – the Oral Health Equity and Progress Network.

OPEN’s nearly 2,000 members advance changes that improve poor oral health outcomes and address significant health disparities against a set of collective goals. The majority of the second quarter grants supported oral health organization and stakeholder participation in OPEN at the local, state and national levels.“Right now, our health care system operates as though the mouth isn’t a part of the body, but oral health is in fact fundamentally tied to our overall health and well-being,” said Alison Corcoran, President of the DentaQuest Partnership.

“Through our grants program, we invest in the future of oral health and fund critical work being done across the country to improve the oral health care system. Our second quarter investments help our many partners participate in OPEN and join us in driving systems change.”

A few examples of organizations receiving grants this quarter include the Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition, which advocates statewide for increased access and improved policies for oral health care; the Hawaii Public Health Institute, which advocates for better oral health coverage in Medicaid across the state; and Critical Learning Systems in Tennessee, which is working to expand a data-mapping tool on oral health needs. The full list appears below.

• Arizona: Senior Oral Health Outreach (SOHO), Arizona Alliance for Community Health Centers, Asian Pacific Community in Action and Children’s Action Alliance
• Arkansas: School Based Health Alliance of Arkansas
• California: Central Valley Health Policy Institute of California State University Fresno, California Primary Care Association, Los Angeles Trust for Children’s Health, Asian Americans Advancing Justice – Los Angeles, California Pan-Ethnic Health Network, Children Now and Visión Y Compromiso
• Colorado: Immigrant and Refugee Center of Northern Colorado, Colorado Community Health Network, University of Colorado School of Dental Medicine and Oral Health Colorado
• Connecticut: Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (COHI) and Community Health Center Association of Connecticut, Inc.
• Florida: Catalyst Miami and Florida Association of Community Health Centers
• Hawaii: Hawaii Children’s Action Network and Hawaii Public Health Institute
• Idaho: Idaho Primary Care Association and Idaho Department of Health and Welfare
• Illinois: American Dental Association and The Oral Health Forum
• Indiana: Indiana Primary Care Association
• Iowa: Lee Country Health Department
• Kansas: Oral Health Kansas Inc., American Network of Oral Health Coalitions, Kansas Advocates for Better Care and Community Care Network of Kansas
• Kentucky: Kentucky Youth Advocates and Kentucky Primary Care Association, Inc.
• Louisiana: The Health Enrichment Network, EXCELth Inc. and Louisiana Primary Care Association
• Maine: Maine Primary Care Association, Maine Oral Health Coalition and Maine Equal Justice Partners
• Maryland: Mid-Atlantic Association of Community Health Center and Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (Office of Oral Health)
• Massachusetts: Better Oral Health for Massachusetts Coalition Inc., Community Catalyst and Primary Care Progress
• Michigan: Michigan Oral Health Coalition, United Health Organization and Health Net of West Michigan
• Minnesota: Apple Tree Dental
• Mississippi: Mississippi Oral Health Community Alliance (MOHCA) and Mississippi Dental Association Foundation
• Missouri: Missouri Coalition for Oral Health and Missouri Primary Care Association
• Montana: Montana Primary Care Association, Inc.
• Nebraska: Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services and Health Center Association of Nebraska
• Nevada: Future Smiles and ASTDD
• New Hampshire: New Hampshire Public Health Association
• New Jersey: American Academy of Pediatrics, NJ Chapter, New Jersey Primary Care Association and Advocates for Children of New Jersey
• New York: Schuyler Center for Analysis and Advocacy and NYU College of Nursing
• North Carolina: NC Child, ABC2 and NC Foundation for Health Leadership and Innovation
• Ohio: Oral Health Ohio and Ohio Asian American Health Coalition
• Oregon: Oregon Child Development Coalition
• Oklahoma: Southern Plains Tribal Health Board and Oklahoma Primary Care Association
• Pennsylvania: Put People First! Pennsylvania, Family First Health, and ACHIEVA/The Arc of Greater Pittsburgh
• Rhode Island: Rhode Island Kids Count Inc. and Rhode Island Health Center Association
• South Carolina: Medical University of South Carolina, South Carolina Primary Health Care Association and South Carolina Office of Rural Health
• South Dakota: St Francis Mission Dental Clinic
• Tennessee: Tennessee Dental Hygienists Association, Critical Learnings Systems, Inc. and Tennessee Primary Care Association
• Texas: Texas Dental Association Smiles Foundation, Texas Oral Health Coalition, Texas Interfaith Center for Public Policy/Texas Impact Education Fund and South Plains Rural Health Services, Inc.
• Utah: Utah Dental Hygienists’ Association and Voices for Utah Children
• Vermont: Southern Vermont Area Health Education Center
• Virginia: Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia Oral Health Coalition, United Way of Roanoke Valley, Smart Beginnings Virginia Peninsula and Harrison County Board of Education
• West Virginia: Marshall University Research Corporation
• Washington D.C.: Families USA, Justice in Aging, National Rural Health Association and Children’s National Health System
• Wisconsin: Children’s Health Alliance of Wisconsin
• Wyoming: Wyoming Primary Care Association