Because Spokane does not fluoridate its water supply, our region has higher rates of cavities and oral health issues. In 2015, Smile Spokane formed to help address the oral health challenges in our region, bringing together partners from health care, public health, social services, and community-based organizations.

One of these partners is Better Health Together (BHT), an organization dedicated to improving the health of the entire region — and that involves better oral health. “From the beginning, we’ve thought about health as it relates not just to your physical health and your behavioral health, but also your oral health,” says BHT’s executive director Alison Poulsen.

BHT senior program manager, Heather Wallace, serves as the network manager for Smile Spokane. She works with our partner organizations on strategies that serve our community’s most vulnerable populations:

Access Strategy – Providence Health & Services, CHAS Health, EWU School of Dental Hygiene, and Spokane Regional Health District connect Medicaid-insured adults and seniors to dentists and oral health care.
Care Coordination Strategy – Aging & Long Term Care of Eastern Washington and Spokane Regional Health District connect seniors, people with diabetes, and pregnant patients to oral health providers who take Apple Health Medicaid.
Care Linkages Strategy – Frontier Behavioral Health connects individuals living with mental illness to dentists and oral health care.
Community Education Strategy – DH and BHT raise awareness about the benefits of water fluoridation, educating how fluoridation benefits oral health, overall health, and health equity in our community.
Medical-Dental Integration Strategy – Arcora Foundation partners with Providence Health & Services, CHAS Health, MultiCare Health System, and other providers to integrate oral health screenings into patient visits. Arcora Foundation supports this strategy by providing training, tools, and technical assistance to medical teams.
Sealants Strategy – Communities in Schools of Spokane County and ToothSavers of Washington provide sealants to kids in elementary schools.

“The days have passed where anyone can solve a problem by themselves,” says Poulsen. “One of the most magical things about Smile Spokane has been the group of partners who have come together. Smile Spokane has given them a mechanism to actually collaborate.”

Poulsen is especially passionate about community water fluoridation, which is the most efficient and cost-effective way to get a good balance of fluoride to everyone in the community regardless of their age, education or income. One of BHT’s core tenets is to combat inequities and address disparities.

“We know care has been influenced by institutional racism: Who gets access to care and the kind of care they get varies based on your zip code,” Poulsen says. “We continue to see a need for some really deep work in how we bring our community together, and make sure that access is appropriate and easy to get to.”

That insight drives BHT and Smile Spokane’s integrated approach, connecting oral health to education, long-term care, behavioral, and physical health.

“The more we get to an integrated approach,” Poulsen says, “the more chances we have to ensure folks have the services and support they need.”