National Governors Association Center for Best Practices

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NGA Policy Academy Improving Oral Health Care
for Children
Project Overview

• National Governors Association Center for Best
  Practices

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What is Technical Assistance?

• The provision of data, research, expertise, and
• other support to help decision makers
• Think through policy options
• Design and implement new systems and programs
  and/or
• Make existing systems and programs more effective.

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Types of Technical Assistance

• Literature Reviews
• Quick-Response Memoranda
• Issue Briefs, Reports
• Conference Calls
• Onsite Visits
• Seminars, Roundtables, and Policy Forums
• Other

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What is a Policy Academy?

• Type of technical assistance
• Structured workshop
• Influential policymakers
• Coordinated response
• Specific issue
• Process, not an event

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Why a Policy Academy?

• Promote strategic planning
• Learn from other state experiences
• Establish/reinforce dialogue
• Build consensus and plan for change

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Academy Purpose

• For each team to develop a state-wide policy
  initiative (Action Plan) that can be
  realistically implemented to improve oral health
  care for children

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Participant States
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General Team Composition

• Governors health policy advisor
• Member(s) of the legislature
• State dental director
• Medicaid/SCHIP director(s)
• State dental association
• Others

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Hopeful Outcome(s)

• Executive Order(s)
• Legislation
• Budget proposals/ funding mechanisms
• Interagency agreements (Memoranda of
  Understanding or Agreement)

• Informal partnerships
• Rules or regulations
• Program standards/ guidelines (licensure
  requirements)
• Task forces/ Committees
• Other

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Site Visit Objectives

• Familiarize teams with Action Plan
• Discuss Academy format
• Ensure teams function
• Set teams in motion (homework)

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Policy Academy for State Officials Improving
Oral Health Care for Children
The Action Plan

• National Governors Association Center for Best
  Practices

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A Return to Purpose

• For each team to develop a state-wide policy
  initiative (Action Plan) that can be
  realistically implemented to improve oral health
  care for children

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Policy Initiative Framework(The Action Plan)

• The Vision (Your State Tomorrow)
• The Reality Assessment (Your State Today)
• Priorities/Goals (Gaps)
• Strategies with Potential (Tactical Plans)
• Action Steps (Work Assignments)

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The Vision(Your State Tomorrow)

• Provides a statement of purpose
• Presents a picture of your ideal future
  (independent of the current reality)
• Serves as a reference point for all future
  decisions

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Sample Vision Statement

• We envision a State where every child enjoys
  optimal oral health where prevention is
  emphasized and treatment is available,
  accessible, affordable, and timely where parents
  are involved, providers are engaged, and insurers
  are responsible where government is a guarantor
  of resources, quality, and patient protection
  and where the total well-being of the child is
  promoted.

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The Reality Assessment(Your State Today)

• Requires a review / inventory of
• Key problem issues in your State
• Previous policy actions taken to address these
  issues
• Current political environment
• Assesses your strengths, weaknesses,
  opportunities, and threats
• Helps to identify resources at your disposal
• Provides context for your efforts

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Team Priorities/Goals(Gaps)

• Areas where you will focus your energy and
  resources
• Likely to be the gaps between your vision and
  the current reality
• Form the basis for planning, policy-making, and
  setting performance standards
• May be short-term and/or long-term

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Strategies with Potential(Tactical Plans)

• Broad-ranging tactics to affect change
• Often require statewide or cross-agency efforts
• Usually involve the combination of several
  courses of action
• Should be directly related to your
  priorities/goals

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Action Steps(Work Assignments)

• Specific activities undertaken based on your
  strategy(-ies)
• Require action from specific individuals (or
  entities)
• Considerations
• Who is responsible for coordinating each action?
• Who is responsible for completing each action?
• What resources are required?
• What is the timeline?
• Who will be affected?
• How will success be measured?

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Visualizing the Action Plan
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Policy Academy for State Officials Improving
Oral Health Care for Children
The Planning Guide

• National Governors Association Center for Best
  Practices

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What is the Planning Guide?

• Guidance tool
• Purpose is to help your team
• Prepare for the Academy
• Develop your Action Plan

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Academy Stages

• State preparation
• Site visits
• Homework
• Formal Policy Academy
• Post-Academy implementation (and technical
  assistance)

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State Preparation(Site Visits)

• Familiarize teams with Action Plan
• Discuss Academy format
• Ensure teams function
• Set teams in motion (homework)

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State Preparation(Homework)

• Formalize decision making process
• Develop a common vision
• Assess current reality
• Narrow priorities / goals
• Develop team presentation

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Working as a Team

• Choose a Leader
• Establish Tasks, Time Table, and Timekeeper
• Select a Scribe
• Develop Team Ground Rules
• Determine Decision Making Process
• Check-In and Check-Out

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Team Tips

• Try to stay focused
• Encourage ideas
• Challenge your assumptions
• Highlight and explore your differences
• Differentiate between what you are totally
  committed to and what you can live with

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During the Academy

• Teams complete Action Plans
• State Presentations
• State Delegation Meetings
• Report-Outs
• Feedback from faculty and peers

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State Team Presentation

• Discuss your initial vision, priorities/goals
• Elaborate on key issues and your efforts to
  address those issues
• Emphasize transferable themes and activities
• Solicit feedback from faculty and peers

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State Delegation Meetings

• Continue developing Action Plan
• Reaffirm team vision, priorities/goals
• Formulate policy and program strategies
• Assign specific action steps based on strategies
  (optional)
• Confer one-on-one with faculty, peers

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State Report-Outs

• Outline Action Plan (brief)
• Discuss how priorities may have changed (or been
  reinforced)
• Elaborate on immediate next steps
• Identify potential technical assistance needs
• Solicit feedback from faculty and peers

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Following the Academy

• Finalize strategies (short- and long-range)
• Develop specific action steps
• Implement the Action Plan
• Agree on a timeline
• Develop benchmarks / outcome measures
• Report on progress
• Seek technical assistance as needed

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Team Challenges

• Building team consensus around Action Plan
• Staying focused
• Encouraging ideas
• Challenging assumptions
• Highlighting/exploring differences
• Differentiating between what team members are
  totally committed to and what they can live with

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Team Challenges (contd)

• Identifying politically feasible strategies
• Presenting a clear message to influential
  policymakers
• Generating public and political will to support
  Action Plan
• Implementing the Action Plan through executive,
  legislative, administrative, and private sector
  (non-government) processes

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NGA Center for Best Practices(www.nga.org/center)

• Robert J. Burns
• Policy Analyst
• National Governors Association
• Center for Best Practices
• 444 North Capitol Street, Suite 267
• Washington, DC 20001-1512
• [phone]
• fax [phone]
• email rburns_at_nga.org