The Learning Session objectives were ambitious: understand the changing oral health care system, sharpen team visions, clarify roles of clinical team members, identify community partners, develop a 90 day action plan, and more.
Attendees gained several hard skills, such as budget building, as well as soft skills such as community outreach and partnership development.
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| Dr. Dennis Lewis from Dental Aid, Inc. explains how to develop a business plan using the SMILES Budget Template. |
The group also worked together as a team. They shared regional experiences, listened to individual concerns and questions, and engaged in honest conversations.
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| Lynn Borup from Tri-County Health Network shares successes and challenges of the SKIPPY program (San Juan Kids Cavity Prevention program). |
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| Summit Community Care Clinic refines its long-term vision for implementing SMILES in several communities. |
“This was so helpful,” reflected an attendee, “we got to meet with SMILES teams from other communities, learn from each other and open an authentic line of communication. Now we have one another to help in this process.”
By Tuesday afternoon, after 16 hours of intensive collaboration, grantees described their first Learning Session as inspiring and informative, and their work – “pioneering.”
The SMILES grantees are, in fact, pioneers in oral health. Only one other state, California, has ever implemented this community-based model of oral health care, otherwise known as the virtual dental home. And what took California seven years to develop and launch, Colorado is doing in five.
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| High Plains Community Health Center (pictured here) and other attendees receive guidance from Dr. Paul Glassman (center), the leader behind California's virtual dental home model. |
But the SMILES project isn’t racing towards implementation. Instead, it is corralling the wagons to ensure grantee teams can develop lasting and impactful models of care. As Linda Reiner, Vice President of Caring for Colorado quoted at the start of the session, “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.”
The process forward is not always clean and clear-cut. It will include making mistakes, asking the hard questions and learning from one another. The SMILES project will continue to facilitate grantee planning with Action Period Calls, reviews of 90 day plans, site visits and technical assistance.
