DENVER – June 7, 2016 – Oral Health Colorado (OHCO) has joined forces with the Colorado/Montana/Wyoming State Area Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored Persons (NAACP), to add a resolution supporting an Oral Health Improvement Program and Community Water Fluoridation.

Entitled “NAACP Supports Oral Health Improvement Program and Community Water Fluoridation,” the resolution points out that African Americans receive poorer dental care than White Americans, even when they have dental insurance coverage. Citing oral health disease in children which negatively impacts school performance; and in adults, which can cause barriers to employment, the resolution calls for the implementation of an Oral Health Improvement Program designed to educate NAACP members about ways to improve their oral health.  According to Rosemary Harris Lytle, Conference President,” The NAACP has long been committed to eliminating the racial and ethnic disparities in our health care system that plague people of color in the United States. Oral health has been long overlooked as a critical component of overall health, and this resolution and related activities will help rectify that.”

In Colorado, statistics show that oral cavity infection is a risk factor for systemic diseases, including diabetes and heart disease, both chronic illnesses experienced disproportionately by the African American community.

The resolution will now make its way to the National Conference, where supporters will work to have it embraced by the full national organization. Deborah Foote, Executive Director of Oral Health Colorado holds that “Passage of this resolution would embrace the position taken by the National Black Conference of State Legislators; that oral health matters and is critical to overall health. We applaud the NAACP Conference for being a leader in improving oral health in Colorado.”

To read the full resolution, please click here.

About Oral Health Colorado

The mission of Oral Health Colorado (OHCO) is to develop and promote strategies that achieve optimal oral health for all Coloradans. An advocacy and public policy focused organization. OHCO develops and supports public policy initiatives resulting in improved oral health for all Coloradans. For more information, visit oralhealthcolorado.org.

About NAACP

The mission of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is to ensure the political, educational, social, and economic equality of rights of all persons and to eliminate race-based discrimination. For more information, visit naacp.org.

Media Contact

Erich Kirshner, Evolution Communications Agency
303.921.6733 or [email protected]