Children’s Oral Health Network of Maine
Room: Cumberland/Kennebec/Lincoln Rooms
Our mouths are an essential channel of human connection and provide a visible window into our overall health and wellbeing. Dental disease is preventable, yet systemic barriers limit access to care for many populations, including BIPOC communities. Oral health access is an issue of justice because the system of care is built to welcome some people and exclude others, distributing the tools to protect oral health in a way that fails to ensure equitable access.
A team of panelists representing both funders and community-based organizations will share the story of how the Oral Health Equity Collaborative grew out of the seed of a very small, very flexible foundation grant, made possible because the funding partners prioritized relationship building, shared decision-making, collective action, system change, and patience. This is a story of mutual learning and shared commitment to equity, community leadership, and systems transformation.
Speakers:
- Becca Matusovich, Children’s Oral Health Network of Maine
- Regina Phillips, Cross Cultural Community Services
- Sarah Lewis, Maine Access Immigrant Network
- Sanaa Abduljabbar, Maine Access Immigrant Network
- Eliot Brenner, Sadie and Harry Davis Foundation
- Frank Martinez Nocito, Maine Health Access Foundation