The Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, Inc.

Last week, COHI Executive Director, Gary Turco, gave a joint presentation at the New England Rural Health Association’s Annual Conference along with individuals from Rhode Island and Maine. The presentation focused on the existing disparities individuals living in rural communities face and what policies and interventions are needed to help improve access to oral health care.

Because of a lack of public transportation, a lack of providers especially ones that accept Medicaid, and higher levels of poverty, Connecticut’s rural communities have some of the largest inequities to receiving oral health care. COHI is working to overcome the unique challenges these communities face and we hope you will join us in this advocacy effort.

💻 🪥 Join COHI on December 9, 2024 from 6-7:30pm for a virtual group discussion on oral health care needs for individuals with intellectual and/or developmental disabilities.

We know there are challenges to accessing quality oral care for individuals with intellectual and development disabilities. If you or someone you love has an intellectual and/or development disability and face any difficulties with oral health care, we want to hear from you.

Please and sign up for the virtual group discussion at: https://tinyurl.com/OralHealthDisabilityDiscussion

A Zoom link will be emailed after registration. See you there!

COHI is attending the CT Mission of Mercy free dental clinic this weekend at Wilby High School in Waterbury to provide resources on oral health access, and good oral health hygiene, and engage individuals to help advocate for a better oral health system that provides more equitable access, quality, and affordability for all.

There’s still time to come over to Waterbury today and receive free dental services from the amazing team of oral health and community professionals. Services are entirely free and there are also many community organizations and assistance be provided to help with other needs as well.

Get all the details here: https://cfdo.org

This weekend! ⬇️

CT Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic offers free dental care to those in need This weekend, Waterbury will be home to smiles and renewed hope as dentists from across Connecticut come together for the annual Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic.

Congratulations to COHI's own Executive Director, Gary Turco for his re-election to another term as State Representative for Newington & New Britain! 👏💙

Thank you to all the voters who participated in yesterday’s election, but especially to those over 8,000 who supported my re-election by an 88.5% to 11.5% margin. I am humbled by your strong support of me and the work I am doing to advocate for our community. I promise to continue working hard every day for the next two years to live up to your trust and faith in me.

Regardless, if you voted for me or voted at all yesterday, I will be working for you and hope to have your active participation in advocating for new laws and positive changes that improve the affordability and quality of life for all residents in our community. I will be your representative and voice at the State Capitol, but I cannot do it alone and welcome a strong team of advocates working together throughout the community. So many district residents have expertise that is needed when debating new laws and I hope you will advise me.

Today, I’m recovering a bit from a lack of sleep and a long exhausting Election Day and week. But tomorrow I’ll be ready to get back to work and start preparing for the legislative session which starts up again in January!

Thank you again for all your support Newington and New Britain.

COHI wishes you all a happy and safe Halloween! 🎃

Enjoy your favorite candy and get into the spirit of spooky season, but don’t forget to keep practicing healthy dental habits 👻🪥🦷

This week is the American Institute of Dental Public Health’s 3rd annual LGBTQIA+ Oral Health Week! COHI supports this effort to address the oral healthcare barriers and disparities faced by the LGBTQIA+ community.

Visit or https://aidph.org/lgbtqia-oh-week/ to access resources and education for each day of this week. Learn the facts and get involved!

COHI is grateful for our partnership with Rev. Robyn Anderson and the Ministerial Health Fellowship who has also prioritized oral health by addressing systemic barriers to Black communities’ access to care with an integrated, faith-based healthcare advocacy network based in Connecticut Black churches.

We are looking forward to a strong advocacy campaign together into the new year.

COHI's Board of Directors is proud to announce that Gary Turco has been selected to fill the position of Executive Director effective immediately. Gary has been with the organization since 2021, first serving as our Community Engagement Specialist and then transitioning to Interim Executive Director in May 2024.

Gary holds a Master's Degree in Communications from Central Connecticut State University and brings a wealth of experience in advocacy and community engagement to COHI. After all he has achieved as Interim Executive Director, the Board is confident that Gary will help COHI make strides toward expanding access, improving quality, and ensuring equity in oral health care for all of Connecticut's residents.

Gary strongly believes that every resident of Connecticut deserves equal access to quality and affordable oral health care services. "By building a coalition of community voices, advocates, and health care providers, we can achieve this goal together," said Gary.

COHI is thrilled to have Gary continue leading the charge in here in ! In honor of Gary's appointment, please consider making a tax-deductible donation to support our mission at: https://tinyurl.com/DonateCOHI

October is National Dental Hygiene Month, a celebration of hard-working dental hygienists and a special opportunity to promote great oral hygiene in our communities. Oral hygiene is an essential contributor to overall health and wellbeing! 🪥✨

DID YOU KNOW? Dental Sealants, which are thin plastic coatings applied to the chewing surfaces of the back teeth (molars) in children and adolescents, prevent up to 80% of cavities. Sealants are safe, painless and financially covered by HUSKY and most private insurance carriers.

Check out our fact sheet on dental sealants at: https://tinyurl.com/DentalSealantsCOHI 🦷

COHI Executive Director, Gary Turco, joined the for their Inaugural Maternal Health Conference today along with COHI Board of Director Vice Chair, Trisha Pitter!

The inequities women of color face in maternal health are serious and the results from lack of access and quality care have caused tragic suffering and even deaths right here in Connecticut. But there are proven policies and solutions that can reverse the damage inequities are causing. COHI looks forward to partnering with the and many other organizations that are advocating for the changes we need!

And that's a wrap on our HUSKY Dental Forum series! Closing out our highlights with our last forum in last week. Participants at our Willimantic area discussion, organized in partnership with the CT Department of Social Services, gathered to share their opinions and experiences with the HUSKY Health dental program.

The purpose of these forums is to identify and understand how the HUSKY dental program can be improved to enhance oral health in . We are grateful to the wonderful participants that joined us across the state to share their lived expertise and insight. We look forward to the results of the feedback we collected. Stay tuned!

UPDATE - THIS WEEK'S EVENT IS NOW VIRTUAL📱💻 If you are a dental/oral health provider serving HUSKY Health patients, we would love to hear from you! 🦷

In partnership with the CT Department of Social Services, COHI is hosting a forum for dental providers who serve HUSKY members to learn about their experience in the network and generate recommendations for improvement. 🪥

Join us THIS Thursday, October 10, 2024 on Zoom from 6:00pm-8:00pm to share your critical input about navigating the HUSKY Dental program as a provider.

Registration is required and Zoom link will be provided following your registration.

🔗 Visit https://tinyurl.com/HUSKYDentalProviderForums to learn more and reserve your spot today and please share within your networks to help us boost provider participation!

Continuing to highlight our HUSKY Dental Forum series with another great turnout in earlier this week! Participants at our Middletown area discussion this Wednesday, organized in partnership with the CT Department of Social Services , to share their opinions and experiences with the HUSKY Health dental program.

The purpose of these forums is to identify and understand how the HUSKY dental program can be improved to enhance oral health in Connecticut. We are grateful to these wonderful participants for sharing their lived expertise and look forward to continuing to hear from residents across the state! We still have ONE more forum happening tomorrow 10/5 in ! Check out our registration form to sign up: https://tinyurl.com/huskydentalforum.

Earlier this year, COHI joined over 100 state and national organizations in signing onto a letter urging Congress to make adult dental coverage an essential health benefit. Despite clear connections and data showing that oral health is an integral part of overall health, dental services for adults remain largely separate from broader health insurance. This needs to change.

In line with this ask, we commend the recent introduction of a House version of the Comprehensive Dental Reform Act of 2024. This companion legislation includes the comprehensive dental reforms supported in the sign-on letter and we are excited to see this progress 🚀

Special thanks to Congresswoman Jahana Hayes (CT-05) for being a co-sponsor on this legislation in her steadfast dedication to ensuring residents and beyond have expanded access to critical resources such as oral healthcare.

Oral health is an essential part of healthcare. 🦷

🔗 Read the sign-on letter:https://communitycatalyst.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Comprehensive-Dental-Sign-on-Letter.pdf

🔗 Read about the Comprehensive Dental Reform Act of 2024: https://debbiedingell.house.gov/news/documentsingle.aspx?DocumentID=5266



🤝 Letter organized by Community Catalyst

Congratulations to our very own Dr. Brianna Munoz! So deserving and proud to have you leading our Board! 💙🦷

10 Under 10: Pediatric dentist pieces together life experiences to build meaningful career Brianna Muñoz, D.M.D., aims to create a warm environment in her pediatric practice that cultivates trust and prioritizes patient care.

Thank you Connecticut State Dental Association for your strong support of Community Water Fluoridation, which helps keep teeth stronger and healthier for millions of children and adults in Connecticut!

Connecticut State Dental Association Affirms Support for Fluoridation One of your neighbors posted in Health & Fitness. Click through to read what they have to say. (The views expressed in this post are the author’s own.)