Tag: DEI

My team and I are passionate about advancing oral health equity. Arcora Foundation’s mission is to bend the arc of oral health toward equity. The focus of our prevention and access work from our 2022-2024 strategic plan is in communities where disparities are significant—specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC).  

Black History Month (Feb. 1 – March 1) celebrates achievements and underscores opportunities. This year’s theme is Black health and wellness. The opportunity for Black people to reach our full health potential is essential, which includes resources to prevent oral disease and access to dental care. Everyone deserves a healthy smile. But not everyone has one. 

Data tell us disparities exist in oral disease prevention and oral health care access for Black people across the state. For example, among second and third graders, Black children experience untreated tooth decay at a rate of 18 percent. That is nearly twice the rate among white children—10 percent.  

Through partnerships, programs, and other efforts, Arcora Foundation is helping more people—from all backgrounds and in all places across Washington state—enjoy good oral health.  

Partnerships play a pivotal role. 

We are excited to partner with Brittany Love to support healthy behaviors in communities of color. She is a fitness trainer focused on using movement and nutrition to promote self-care, self-love, and empowerment in Black and other communities of color. We recently awarded Love a grant to help her:  

• Develop fitness videos that contain oral health messages.
• Distribute oral hygiene kits to help people experiencing homelessness. 

Both projects will have a particular focus on BIPOC people across Western Washington. 

Love believes everyone should have access to health and wellness resources. That is why she plans to make her fitness videos, which integrate oral health messages into her promotion of overall wellness, available for free online. Greater opportunities exist in communities of color that are underserved and under resourced. 

“I want to give people as many tools as possible to be the best versions of themselves,” Love said. 

Through her own health and wellness journey, Love came to understand the importance of a holistic approach to good health. Now, she wants to give back. Through partnerships with companies and organizations—like Arcora Foundation—she will help spread messages about good overall health to communities of color. 

“Feeling good is a butterfly effect for other aspects of your life,” Love said. 

Arcora Foundation’s partnership with Love is one example of our commitment to look for more ways to deepen our work and focus on different BIPOC populations in communities across the state to bridge the oral health equity gap. This approach reflects our strategic direction to lead with equity. 

To stay up to date on our latest grant and sponsorship opportunities for your organization, subscribe to Arcora Foundation’s newsletter here. 

Oral health is essential to overall health. 

Oral disease is almost entirely preventable. An early start to good oral health habits is crucial for good overall health. Classroom instruction can be difficult if not impossible for a child suffering cavity pain. As an adult, it can be hard to get a job if you are missing teeth or keep a job if you are in pain from oral disease. The health of your mouth is one of the most visible indicators of economic inequality.   

Oral health is essential to overall health. Research shows links between poor oral health and serious or potentially life-threatening conditions. A few examples:  

• Diabetes.  
• Heart disease.  
• Stroke.  
• Pregnancy complications.  

When more people have healthy smiles, everyone benefits. Kids thrive in the classroom. Adults have better job opportunities. 

As we celebrate the richness of Black history this month and throughout the year, I encourage you to engage with work underway to ensure a healthier future for Black people and other communities of color.  

Vanetta Abdellatif
President and CEO, Arcora Foundation

This article was originally published in the HealthAffairs GrantWatch blog.

By Joe Finkbonner and Vanetta Abdellatif | December 7, 2021

The data are undeniable: oral health disparities exist in Washington State, largely along racial and ethnic lines.

For example, among second and third graders in the state, Black, Indigenous, and other children of color have higher rates of tooth decay and untreated decay than White children in categories such as cavities experienced in all teeth, cavities in permanent teeth, and rampant decay—seven or more teeth with cavity experience. Among adults, nearly twice as many Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander adults—27 percent—experience pain in the mouth than White adults—15 percent.

Arcora Foundation’s vision is for everyone to enjoy good oral and overall health with no one left behind. This equity-centered approach aligns with the vision we share with our funder, Delta Dental of Washington. Alongside our partners, we’ve helped promote healthy behaviors and expand access to dental care through our programs and efforts over the years. Arcora funds only in Washington State.

We’re helping more people enjoy healthy smiles, but disparities persist for racial/ethnic groups, especially for Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) populations. The development of our 2022–2024 strategic plan allowed us an exciting opportunity to tackle this question: How might we be the catalyst for more meaningful changes where the data show significant disparities?

Intentional About Equity

With the Arcora Foundation board’s leadership and direction, we began a journey to rethink how we work, specifically about the role that equity plays in what we do. During our strategic planning in 2021, board members remained interested in and engaged with the process. They aligned on:

• The importance of equity in the foundation’s work.
• The need to be more intentional in placing equity front and center to meet the needs of populations experiencing significant disparities—namely, BIPOC populations.

In September 2021, our board approved the new strategic plan, which leads with equity. Health equity, according to the foundation’s definition:

• Assures conditions exist for the highest standard of health and well-being that reflect every person’s needs.
• Reallocates power and resources.
• Dismantles oppressive systems.
• Heals harm from system imbalances.
• Eliminates racism and discrimination as factors to predict life expectancy and health outcomes.

Following heightened attention on racial justice issues in summer 2020, we’ve seen equity intentionally applied to policing, housing, education, and other areas. Equity is also essential to oral health. You deserve fair and just opportunities no matter who you are or where you come from, so as to get resources to stay healthy and access care when and where you need it, all without barriers.

BIPOC populations, historically underserved and under-resourced, have significant need and opportunities to improve oral health. By taking intentional steps to place equity front and center in our work, we have opportunities to help bridge the oral health equity gap and eliminate disparities.

Prevention—by using community-based interventions—and access—by using care setting–based interventions—remain strategic priorities. Goals for our prevention work are to expand community water fluoridation, influence healthy oral health behaviors, and address root causes of poor oral health.

For our access work, our goals are to achieve policy changes—such as an increased investment in the pediatric Medicaid dental program and greater access to community water fluoridation statewide; to increase culturally appropriate care; to advance innovative models of care—which includes addressing oral health concerns during medical visits; and to expand access for those experiencing the greatest barriers.

In our new strategic plan, we will look for ways to deepen our work and focus on BIPOC populations in communities across the state to bridge the equity gap. We will look for ways to have more authentic, engaged, and frequent conversations with community members and partners. Our aim is to think differently about our prevention and access work and to move the needle in partnership with BIPOC people.

See Full Strategic Plan

Benefits Beyond Oral Health

Oral disease is mostly preventable. Families, businesses, and taxpayers save money and thrive through oral disease prevention. Tooth decay is the number-one chronic disease of early childhood. (See page 3.) Classroom instruction can be difficult, if not impossible, for a child suffering the pain of cavities. For adults, it is hard to get a job if you are missing teeth or to keep a job if you are in pain from oral disease. The health of the mouth is one of the most visible indicators of economic inequality.

Oral health matters to overall health. Research shows links between poor oral health and serious or potentially life-threatening conditions. A few examples are diabetes, heart disease, stroke, and pregnancy complications.

People can have better overall health when they have healthy smiles. From an equity standpoint, the advancement of good oral health for all makes sense.

Bold Action Brings Potential Of Big Rewards

The Arcora Foundation plan has flexibility. Working this way comes with some risk. We could try new approaches and not succeed. But what if we do succeed? Our plan allows us to be nimble so we can course correct, try a different approach, or scale up if we succeed in a big way.

The plan relies on relationships. We must co-create solutions to reach our priority populations where they are. Community engagement and partnerships are integral to the plan’s success. Community, state, and national groups, the dental and medical community, policy makers, and others will be key collaborators on this journey.

At Arcora Foundation, our name reflects our equity-driven mission —bending the arc of oral health toward equity. Our new, three-year strategic plan—which launches in January 2022—sharpens our focus to address significant disparities in oral health. With the help of our partners, bridging the equity gap is possible—so everyone can reach their full potential with healthy smiles and good overall health.

At Arcora Foundation, our name reflects our mission—bending the arc of oral health towards equity. Our Board of Trustees understands the importance equity, along with diversity and inclusion, have in our work to advance oral health in communities across Washington with no one left behind.

Our Board defines equity as an ardent journey toward assuring availability of appropriate, tailored resources and treatment for every person to access opportunities and reach their full potential based on where they are and where they want to go. Further, health equity is the assurance of the conditions for the highest standard of health and well-being for every person, as defined by each of those affected. Power and resources must be reallocated, oppressive systems dismantled, and harm caused by system imbalances must be healed. When health equity is achieved, racism and discrimination will no longer factor in predicting life expectancy and health outcomes.

These frameworks help our Board and Foundation take our mission from a statement to a core element of how we engage with communities.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Board Committee

Our Board’s leadership in championing diversity, equity and inclusion extends to how the Foundation functions internally. In 2020, to further integrate equity into the core of our Board’s work, Trustees and Arcora Foundation team members developed an ad-hoc Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Committee.

Our DEI Board Committee aims to foster Arcora Foundation Trustees’ learning, development, and interest in DEI and social justice. It also aims to support Arcora Foundation’s DEI work through making recommendations to the Board that center social justice and equity in the strategic plan, governance and policies. The committee works to vet and recommend resources to the full Board that will encourage continuous learning and growth, and practices examining the systems and processes within which the Board operates to develop awareness and understanding of power dynamics. This awareness informs the Board’s efforts toward equity-focused policy and programs.

National Recognition for DEI Efforts

On Nov. 9, the National Association of Corporate Directors (NACD) named our Board as finalist for their DE&I Awards. The annual award goes to forward-thinking boards that leverage the power of diversity, equity and inclusion to enhance their governance and create long-term value for their organizations and stakeholders.

“This national recognition is a great honor that reflects the engagement of my fellow board members and the dedication of the Foundation team,” said Arcora Foundation Board Chair Joe Finkbonner. “The integration of diversity, equity, and inclusion into what we do and who we are continues and is a journey we’re committed to for the long haul.”

Read more about the award and the other finalists.

Centering DEI to Improve Community Health

Diversity, equity, and inclusion are essential to effectively address disparities and improve health equity for all. While oral health is generally improving across all Washington children, racial disparities are still deep and widespread:

• Hispanic and American Indian/Alaskan Native children have 50% higher rates of cavities than their white classmates.
• Pacific Islander children experience untreated decay at rates over twice that of white children.

Noting the intersection of race and socioeconomic status, it is alarming that twice as many children from low-income households suffer from rampant tooth decay than children from higher-income households.

Next year will mark a new chapter in how we work to address disparities. In September of 2021, our Board approved our new, three-year strategic plan. With it, we will take intentional steps to place equity front and center in our work to bridge the oral health equity gap. We will deepen the focus of our prevention and access priorities on racial/ethnic communities—specifically Black, Indigenous, and People of Color—where disparities in oral disease and access to care are significant.

We can’t do this work alone. To be successful, we must include and learn from people of diverse racial/ethnic communities. We must understand not only what oral health disparities exist, but how the Foundation can best support our partners to make meaningful, lasting, culturally appropriate change. With this, more people can have the resources and access they need to have good oral and overall health.

Message from our President and CEO

“The 2021 legislative session was historic and extraordinary for many reasons. Thank you to Washington legislators and Governor Inslee for your leadership and efforts to address advance health equity. More than 2 million children, working adults and seniors throughout Washington state rely on Apple Health (Medicaid) for their dental care coverage.

“We are grateful that lawmakers passed an operating budget that supports access to dental care for so many in our communities by investing in the Apple Health adult dental program, the Access to Baby Child and Dentistry program and DentistLink. Good oral health and access to oral health care is essential to healthy living, economic opportunity and general wellbeing.

“These significant investments in dental care build on the progress made in our state and are another step toward ensuring that everyone can enjoy the benefits of good oral health.”

Vanetta Abdellatif
President and CEO, Arcora Foundation

 

Yesterday afternoon, my colleagues and I took time to reflect on the conviction of Derek Chauvin in the brutal murder of George Floyd. We are relieved with the accountability this court decision brings, and hope that this is a measure of justice for the Floyd family, bystanders who witnessed his murder, Minnesotans, and all who have been traumatized by this tragedy. But we are clear eyed and recognize that this is not a moment of rest from our work towards racial equity. Even as this verdict was reached, a Black teenage girl was shot and killed by police officers in Ohio. A single act of accountability is not the same as justice. Justice would be George Floyd, Duarte Wright, Adam Toledo, Ma’Khia Bryant, Breonna Taylor, Sandra Bland, and so many more still alive today.

Arcora Foundation is committed to health equity. We know racial and ethnic disparities will continue to persist as long as structural racism does. Achieving health equity will not come independent of dismantling harmful, racist systems in all areas of our nation – from health care to criminal justice. The CDC recently declared racism a serious public health threat. We remain steadfast in continuing our journey to equity, inclusion and diversity within our own organization and communities we work with. The Foundation continues its commitment to good oral and overall health for all, with no one left behind, and in that, a commitment to work alongside partners to dismantle systemic health inequities.

We pause to remember the life of George Floyd, and to show deep appreciation to the thousands of activists who’ve led this call for justice for far too long. But the work is ongoing. And we must all do our part to build an equitable future for everyone. A future where Black and Brown people enjoy full rights to equitable treatment, opportunity, safety, and joy.

Vanetta Abdellatif
President and CEO, Arcora Foundation