Future of Public Oral Health in Virginia

The Future of Public Oral Health (FPOH) Taskforce was established in 2020 to address systemic inequities and inefficiencies in Virginia’s public oral health system and ensure it works for all Virginians. Taskforce members worked collectively to identify policy and programmatic recommendations to meet this goal.  They were finalized in 2021, and you can read them here. 

The FPOH Taskforce was originally organized into multiple workgroups focusing on technology, integration, workforce, and data to create a roadmap for transformation, and together the groups began prioritizing and implementing the recommendations.  You can see some of the results of their work in resources and publications that address teledentistry, integration, and the oral health workforce. In addition, Catalyst staff began working with safety net clinic partners to pilot integration and technology innovations that supported FPOH recommendations.  

In 2023, the FPOH taskforce members doubled down on the recommendations related to the oral health workforce, understanding that the most pressing need is a workforce poised to provide comprehensive, prevention-focused care to everyone in the Commonwealth.  This began with the release of the Virginia Oral Health Workforce Gap Assessment and has informed Catalyst’s policy agenda. Click below to access the FPOH Recommendations, FPOH Taskforce Members, and 2025 Legislative Priorities.