2022 – 2025 Strategic Plan

Bending the arc of oral health toward equity through prevention and access.

Everyone deserves a healthy smile. Our 2022–2025 strategic plan places equity at the center of our work to ensure everyone can achieve good oral and overall health.

Download Strategic Plan (PDF)

WHY HEALTH EQUITY MATTERS

Unfortunately, not everyone has the same opportunities for good oral health due to racial and ethnic disparities.

Three graphs and statistics that explain oral health disparities in Washington state. The first statistic is that Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska Native children have a 50 percent higher rate of tooth decay compared to white children. The second statistic is that Nearly twice as many Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults experience mouth pain compared to white adults. The third statistic is that Nearly twice as many Black second and third graders experience untreated tooth decay compared to white children in the same grades.

Graphic providing an overview of Arcora Foundation’s goals when leading with equity. On the left is an image of a group of diverse older adults laughing and smiling. The right side of the graphic lists the equity-focused goals below relevant green icons. The goals are: Assure high standards of health exist for everyone, Reallocate power and resources, Dismantle oppressive systems, Heal harm from system imbalances, and Eliminate racism and discrimination as predictive factors of life expectancy and health outcomes.

Graphic explaining how oral health and overall health are connected. It states that oral disease is preventable, and the health of your smile affects your overall health. To the right of the text, there are four green icons to represent conditions that are linked to poor oral health: diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and pregnancy complications.

Sources
1: 2015-2016 Washington State Smile Survey: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/340-309-2016SmileSurvey.pdf
2: 2018 Washington State Department of Health Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System Survey Data: https://arcorafoundation.org/health-disparities-examples-oral-health-dashboard/
3: 2015-2016 Washington State Smile Survey: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/Pubs/340-309-2016SmileSurvey.pdf

STRATEGIC PRIORITIES AND GOALS FOR
2022 – 2025

We’re focusing on prevention and access in underserved communities where disparities are significant—specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).

Circular graphic that outlines the Arcora Foundation strategic plan. The red outside layer states our vision that all people can enjoy good oral and overall health with no one left behind. The next blue layer states our mission of bending the arc of oral health towards equity. The inside of the circle is separated horizontally into two sections. The green section describes our priorities for preventing oral disease, and the yellow section describes our priorities in improving access to oral health care. At the very center of the circle, the words oral equity are large and bold.

Prevention

Work with individuals and groups to prevent oral disease:

Influence healthy behaviors
Address root causes of poor oral health
Expand community water fluoridation

Access

Ensure everyone can access oral health care when and where they need it:

Achieve policy change
Increase culturally appropriate care
Advance innovative models
Expand access to care

These strategic goals and priorities will help us in our mission of bending the arc of oral health towards equity and move closer to our vision of a state where all people can enjoy good oral and overall health with no one left behind.

We can’t do this work alone. Advancing oral health requires policy advocacy, public and private partnerships, and funding.

JOIN US IN OUR MISSION TO BEND THE ARC OF ORAL HEALTH TOWARD EQUITY.

Download Strategic Plan Infographic (PDF)

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