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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Karen Peters, DrPH, Illinois Prevention Research Center, University of Illinois at Chicago School of Public Health, 850 W. Jackson (M/C 275), Chicago, IL 60607, 312-413-4944, kpeters@uic.edu, William Baldyga, DrPH, School of Public Health, University of Illinois at Chicago, 850 W. Jackson Suite 400, Health Research and Policy Center, Chicago, IL 60607, Lewis N. Lampiris, DDS, MPH, Division of Oral Health, Illinois Department of Public Health, 535 W. Jefferson St, Springfied, IL 62761, and Julie Ann Janssen, RDH, MA, Division of Oral Health, Illinois Department of Health, IDPH, 535 W Jefferson 2nd Fl, Springfield, IL 62761.
Recent attention at the federal level (e.g. Surgeon General's report "Oral Health in America") to the issue of oral health has sparked planning activity at the state and local level. In Illinois, the oral health community has been engaged in a comprehensive statewide effort to develop an Oral Health State Plan. A major component to the planning effort involved an HRSA-Bureau of Health Professions funded initiative to develop a blueprint for community oral health infrastructure in the state. The process was lead by representatives of the state health department and the University of Illinois Prevention Research Center. Other partners in the process included the private sector, government, academic institutions and oral health professions and advocacy groups. The effort identified three primary priority areas deemed critical to infrastructure development for the state. The priority areas are: 1) Community oral health professional education, training, leadership and practice opportunities; 2) Development of oral health surveillance system and community based oral health research capacity focusing on the reduction of disparities; and, 3) Enhanced community based practice opportunities along with prevention and control programs to reduce disparities and meet the needs of the underserved. The processes involved, findings generated and future directions from the infrastructure development project will be discussed. It is suggested that the 'lessons learned' from the Illinois experience can be of benefit to other states seeking to build and sustain oral health policy and practice.
Learning Objectives: At the conclusion of the session, the participant (learner) in this session will be able to
Keywords: Public Policy, Community Planning
Related Web page: www.idph.state.il.us/HealthWellness/oralhlth/home.htm
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.