OPEN is closing in on a final collective impact strategy that will fundamentally change the national oral health system to be more equitable, affordable, and accessible for all. Blueprint Lever Teams are laying the foundation in partnership with other OPEN hubs to guide Network activity over the next five years. The Network’s Formal Leaders will support the implementation of the Blueprint in 2022 and beyond through their “hubs” focusing on local, state, national, and topical areas of interest.
About the Levers
AMPLIFY CONSUMER VOICES
This work centers the voice and experience of those not well-served by the present oral health care system. By engaging directly with communities, building grass-roots advocacy capacity, and collaborating with other progressive movements we can create a “megaphone” for the people.
ADVANCE ORAL HEALTH POLICY
This work engages everyone to collaborate from a shared policy agenda, collectively urging changes at the federal, state, and local levels. The aim is to address inequities by promoting policies that strengthen oral health coverage for all, encourage innovation and integration, and diversify the workforce.
INTEGRATE DENTAL AND MEDICAL
We recognize that oral health is fundamental to overall health. We work within our organizations, among our peers, and in concert with educational institutions, regulatory bodies and other entities to achieve broad awareness and acceptance of this truth. We promote pilots, policies and practices to advance interprofessional care, integrate coverage and health information, and support everyone’s learning about the best ways to return the mouth to the body.
EMPHASIZE PREVENTION
We know that prevention works in oral health. We also know that current payment approaches and traditional clinical practices favor invasive intervention over both prevention and effective non- invasive care. And lastly, we know that communities without access to such basic resources as healthy food, transportation, tools for at home oral care, and time face challenges in maintaining good oral health. We aim to flip these forces so that prevention becomes the norm, care teams are oriented to an upstream approach, and better health outcomes are valued and achieved.
BRING CARE TO THE PEOPLE
To close the oral health gap, we must bring care to the people instead of insisting that people come to the care. We listen to communities to learn what they need, then support the allocation of funding for, and design and implement new models of care and workforce deployment. We meet consumers where they are, in non-traditional and trusted settings, and cultivate new messengers of health, ultimately creating healthier communities.