3-4 Minute Read
Every year, new coalitions join the American Network of Oral Health Coalitions, and every year the network gets a little stronger for it. In 2026, we’re highlighting three of the newest additions: the Connecticut Oral Health Advocacy Coalition, the Vermont Oral Health Coalition, and the Alabama Oral Health Coalition. With their addition, ANOHC now connects 40 state and territorial coalitions working toward one shared goal, better oral health access for every person in every community.
This kind of growth isn’t new for ANOHC. The network has expanded steadily over the years as more states and territories recognize the value of coordinated, cross-state oral health advocacy. What is new each time is the specific mix of experience each coalition brings with it, and this year, Connecticut, Vermont and Alabama each add something the network didn’t have before.
Connecticut brings years of experience connecting people to dental care across a state that mixes dense urban centers with smaller, quieter towns. Their coalition has built strong relationships with public health departments and community clinics and has spent real time figuring out how to serve very different communities within the same small state.
Vermont joins with a coalition shaped by the realities of a largely rural state and a thin dental workforce. Their approach to stretching limited resources and reaching residents in remote areas offers lessons that plenty of other rural-serving coalitions will recognize immediately.
Alabama adds a Southern perspective built on coalition work across a large and diverse state, where access to dental care can look very different from one county to the next. Their experience engaging community-based organizations and building trust in underserved areas is exactly the kind of ground-level expertise that strengthens the network as a whole.
That’s the pattern behind every coalition that joins ANOHC: each one shows up having already solved problems specific to its own state, and each one shows up ready to learn from the 37 coalitions that came before it. A coalition that has already navigated a Medicaid reimbursement fight has something to offer a coalition just starting that conversation. A state experimenting with a new rural outreach model can pass those lessons to a state still searching for one.
Next year, ANOHC will likely welcome new coalitions again, just as it has in years past. The network keeps growing because the need for coordinated oral health advocacy keeps growing too, and because coalitions keep discovering that they don’t have to solve every problem alone.
FAQ
Which coalitions joined ANOHC in 2026?
The Connecticut Oral Health Advocacy Coalition, the Vermont Oral Health Coalition and the Alabama Oral Health Coalition all joined ANOHC in 2026, bringing the network to 40 state and territorial member coalitions.
Does ANOHC add new coalitions every year?
Yes. ANOHC has grown steadily over time as more states and territories join the network, and new coalitions are welcomed most years as the network continues to expand.
What is ANOHC?
The American Network of Oral Health Coalitions, a national network of 40 state and territorial oral health coalitions whose members collectively advocate for roughly 285 million Americans.
What do new coalitions gain by joining ANOHC?
Access to a national peer network, shared resources and best practices, a stronger collective voice in oral health policy, and the chance to learn from coalitions working in very different regional and political contexts.
Welcome to ANOHC, Connecticut, Vermont, and Alabama. We’re glad you’re here.
