B. Finding Partners and Champions
When adding members to a current community oral
health coalition or when initiating a new coalition, it is important
to look
for partners who are or can become champions for oral health.
It is often useful to start by identifying groups concerned
about oral health issues and whose constituents may have
significant oral health needs. Examples of such groups include
the following:
-
Community action agencies
-
Local health professionals (e.g., family physicians, pediatricians,
community/migrant/tribal health center workers, hospital emergency
room staff)
-
Agencies that work with special population groups (e.g., children,
individuals who are homeless, individuals with disabilities, immigrants)
-
Local elected officials (e.g., state legislators, county or city
government, city council, board of supervisors)
-
Head Start and child care programs
-
School nurses
-
Parent teachers associations
-
Professional groups (e.g., state American Academy of Pediatrics
[AAP] chapter, public health associations, dental associations,
dental hygiene associations, primary care associations, school
nurse associations)
-
Professional schools (e.g., dental schools, dental hygiene schools,
nursing schools, schools of public health)
-
Area Health Education Centers (AHECs)
-
Faith communities
Coalition development requires careful planning
and thoughtful implementation. Two useful publications that provide
valuable
information about coalition development are
Often, some particularly
compelling data or anecdotal information about oral health
issues may be available
that will capture
the interest of potential coalition members and help
initiate activity.
A quick survey of oral disease in children attending
Head Start programs or interviews with school nurses
working
in a high-poverty
area of the community can provide information that
will create a sense of urgency.
Existing interagency councils
or coalitions are often aware of oral health access issues
and may willingly
support
action when
oral health partners and champions emerge.
Briefly,
the steps in coalition development include the following:
-
Discuss the need for and potential goals and accomplishments of
a coalition
-
Recruit committed, energetic, influential experts
-
Determine goals, objectives, and proposed activities
-
Identify individuals or representatives of organizations to take
responsibility for completing activities
-
Convene coalition members
-
Determine coalition needs and resources
-
Determine coalition structure
-
Plan for ongoing vitality of the coalition
-
Evaluate each coalition activity and the coalition’s overall
performance to guide future modifications and
promote the coalition’s
success
When community support has been mobilized,
it is time to move on to the next step—assessment of oral
health needs and resources.
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