United in Wellness: Tackling Oral Health Disparities By Connecting Communities

How CareQuest Institute’s Collaborative Network is Revolutionizing Oral Healthcare

“When we look at the root cause of how we can create change across the country, it’s through organizations like the TCC Group, bringing individuals together, introducing concepts, recognizing that there are innovative ways and manners to approach things that we’ve been troubled with.”

Milton Leslie, passionate about improving oral health in his Hawaiian community, felt the weight of isolation. Milton’s work at the Hawai’i Island Community Health Center (HICHC) faces challenges – a large portion of their patients are on Medicaid and Medicare, and access to basic healthcare necessities is limited. Milton yearns to connect with others facing similar challenges and find solutions together. Along this path of solidarity, Milton, in partnership with the Health Choice Network (HCN), a lead grantee of CareQuest Institute, is collaborating with HICHC and the CareQuest Institute Learning Community Series, co-designed and facilitated by TCC Group (TCC).   

“My community’s health outcomes include barriers to lack of beneficial oral health which result in tooth decay and cavities, partially because Hawai’i doesn’t have fluoride in the water,” said Milton. “Our research recognizes a severe need to bridge the gap between oral and behavioral health. CareQuest Institute offers ways to help our indigenous and vulnerable populations with funding and game changers like joining the oral health cohorts facilitated by TCC to introduce us to thought provoking leaders and educational opportunities. Because of TCC, we address the root cause of creating change by bringing people together. Creating cohorts that have a strong foundation gives us hope, all of us, organizations and individuals, the ability to move things further.”

Melodie Griffin, at CareQuest Institute, a national organization working for a more equitable healthcare system, shares Milton’s vision. CareQuest Institute offers grants to organizations like Milton’s, but they recognize a need to go beyond funding. Melodie knew that collaboration and sharing knowledge were key to overcoming disparities.

“As a grant making organization, we want to do a better job getting information out for grant opportunities, while tackling timely and important topics in oral health spaces,” said Melodie. “At CareQuest Institute, we are a small team without capacity or experience with grantees around cohort engagement and learning. Our work with TCC allows us to address community and care transformation, through better engagement with communities we serve to inform work with oral health providers, and to offer and address oral health disability inclusion and justice.”   

Enter Tiffany Smith and the TCC team. TCC specializes in building learning communities and saw an opportunity to connect Milton’s needs and Melodie’s goals. However, there were challenges. CareQuest Institute had never done cohort learning on this scale, and the TCC team had to adapt their usual methods to a completely virtual setting.

“We were eager to create with CareQuest Institute a structured learning series,” said Tiffany. “To expand peer learning within a framework they had and to implement this over a year-long program with a mix of different types of learning sessions. Part of why TCC was chosen by CareQuest Institute was our specific expertise with cohort learning of this scope and size and our ability to provide capacity and experience with these types of learning communities. Among other TCC collaborations of this kind, one of the biggest is ViiV Healthcare, with whom we have worked with for over 10 years, during which we sourced community-responsive learning opportunities from the communities we worked alongside, brought in speakers, and or facilitated community conversations.”  

The first challenge was building trust. TCC emphasizes open communication and active listening. They ensure that CareQuest Institute’s grantees, like Milton, have a voice in shaping the program. This isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach; the TCC team tailors the experience to best suit the participants.  

“Our commitment to values-based communication and listening is central to our approach,” said Tiffany. “We must understand the needs of those this work is meant to benefit. What does the community need? This is done by modeling and bringing human elements to how we meet and approach our collaborations, letting people be their whole person – even (and especially) in settings with funders, brings value into the work. We question the status quo and are always keen to find ways for our clients to do something new or different. CareQuest Institute is game for and receptive new, fresh ideas, with keen awareness of how traditional funder dynamics can impede progress and challenge what we and they think is ok.”  

“TCC is very flexible; they came to us to be thought partners,” said Melodie. “They are experts in facilitation. We never feel intimidated that we would not have a voice [which informs] how the work is done. TCC’s approach is not just a recipe; they are willing to create a plan unique to CareQuest Institute’s needs, work together to generate what best serves our grantees and their communities.” 

Another hurdle is keeping virtual sessions engaging. TCC dismisses rigid formalities and encourages participants to share their experiences. They introduce creative solutions, and embrace different learning styles and preferences for engagement, to ensure everyone feels they are part of an inclusive and accessible environment.   

The secret solution? It isn’t just about the curriculum. TCC emphasizes the importance of human connection. The program fosters a sense of community, reminds everyone that they are all working towards the same goal – a more equitable and accessible healthcare system. 

Our work with CareQuest Institute and the communities it serves is a testament to the power of human connection. It’s a call to action for collaboration, empathy, and breaking down barriers in healthcare. By working together, with authenticity and a commitment to shared goals, seemingly disparate groups can achieve remarkable things. The story is a call to action for others to follow – to build bridges, share successes and challenges, break down silos in shared ecosystems, and more effectively address health disparities creating a better future for all.  

The collaboration among Hawai’i Island Community Health Center, CareQuest Institute, and TCC is proving to be an ongoing success. Milton, along with participants from across the country, have a supportive network. They are learning from each other’s successes and failures, forming connections that transcend the program. CareQuest Institute’s grantees are empowered to better serve their communities. These cohorts are due to wrap-up their Learning Community work in the Fall and TCC will provide a synthesis and summary of data and outcomes related to this work, utilizing a storytelling approach to the evaluation.  

Melodie said of TCC, “They feel like part of the CareQuest Institute family. TCC facilitates support and trust among organizations and communities, so the oral health cohorts are comfortable learning among each other from Hawaii to Missouri to Florida. As a result, now they are connecting outside of the structure TCC put in place, creating sustainable long-term relationships because of what TCC creates and nurtures.”  

“If we can create cohorts that have a very strong foundation just like the TCC Group has created, it then gives individuals like little old me in the middle of the Pacific hope. It gives organizations hope. It gives other entities, healthcare agencies, nonprofits, hope, support and guidance in creating a solidified and unified front so that we create change and we can present change and show how change can occur across the country.”

– Milton Leslie