Infrastructure Development Tools
Activity 7: Develop Partnerships
Building effective partnerships to promote improvements in oral health
requires planning that is different than that of building an oral
health coalition.
A coalition is "an organization of diverse interest groups that combine their
human and material resources to effect a specific change the members are unable
to bring about independently." (Cheri Brown)
Partnerships and collaborations are what coalitions aim to promote. A
partnership is a "voluntary, strategic alliance of public, private and nonprofit
organizations to enhance each other's capacity to achieve a common purpose by
sharing risk, responsibility, resources and awards." (Arthur Himmelman) Such
partnerships can be an effective means to augment the work of the state oral
health coalition.
The state oral health program may find it helpful to identify,
consult with, and involve appropriate partners to address areas critical to
developing state-level and community-based programs to promote oral
health and prevent disease. These efforts can avoid duplication of effort,
ensure synergy of resources, and enhance the overall leadership within the
state.
Page last reviewed: October 29, 2008
Page last modified: August 27, 2007
Content source:
Division of Oral Health,
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and
Health Promotion |
