About

We are united by a shared vision: ensuring that all children in Maine can grow up free from preventable dental disease.
 

Staff

  • Executive Director

    Becca Matusovich

  • Associate Director

    Kalie Hess

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Board of Directors

  • Andrew Klingenstein, President

  • Dr. Barbara Crowley

  • Dr. Stephen Mills

  • Becca Matusovich, ex officio

Network History

The Children's Oral Health Network of Maine (Network) was founded in 2018 as the Partnership for Children's Oral Health by a small group of funders, public health partners, health care and dental providers, and dental educators. It was established using a network approach to leverage collective action to transform Maine into a state where together we can meet the oral health needs of all children and families, prioritize prevention, integrate oral health as an essential element of overall health and well-being. The Network strives to catalyze collaboration and innovation to expand the state's capacity to ensure that effective prevention, education, and treatment tools reach all children in Maine. See the progression of our work here. [pdf]

Network Steering Committee

Structure and Functions of the Network

The COHN Steering Committee is made up of diverse sector and geographic stakeholders to ensure that the Network vision and initiatives are spread more broadly across the state. The structure and functions of the Steering Committee are influenced by the framework of building “wide bridges” to the sector(s) they represent. This framework tells us that to spread complex ideas we need to have multiple sources confirming that these ideas have merit. The Steering Committee members work to identify other partners within their sector who can support Network goals and initiatives so that our shared vision is adopted by more stakeholders statewide.

This approach ensures that more partners from all sectors are interfacing with Network ideas, and that we can better harvest ideas from stakeholders as we work towards out larger Network goals so our efforts are stronger.

COHN Steering Committee

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Sherry Laliberte, Medical Care Development/Maine CDC School Oral Health Program; Dee Kerry, Maine Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics; Ayla Allen, Mainely Teeth; Kate Christiansen, Maine CDC; Beth Pearce, Maine Primary Care Association; Dr. Kailee Williams, Waterville Community Dental Center; Sanaa Abduljabbar and Sarah Lewis, Maine Access Immigrant Network; Lyvia Gaewsky, MaineHealth From the First Tooth; Regina Phillips, Cross Cultural Community Services; Morgan Hynd, The Bingham Program; Tracey Jowett, University of Maine Augusta; Dr. Albert Abena, University of New England.

Supporting Organization

A small 501c3 non-profit organization provides backbone support for the Network. It is maintained by a Board of Directors and a staff who coordinates and supports Network activities and initiatives. The official legal name of the 501(c)3 is the Harry E. Davis Partnership for Children's Oral Health in honor of Dr. Harry Davis, who was a beloved Maine pediatrician and the chief of pediatrics at Mercy Hospital from 1943-1963. Dr. Davis was the inspiration behind the creation of the Sadie & Harry Davis Foundation, our original core funder.
 

Founding Partnership Council

Founding Partnership Council 2018

The Founding Partnership Council established the priorities and framework for COHN to develop into the network it is today. Founding council members included: Kolawole Bankole, Nicole Breton, Deborah Deatrick, Dora Mills, Evelyn deFrees, Judith Feinstein, Kalie Hess, Morgan Hynd, Rachel King, Christopher Pezzulo, Angela Westoff, and Carolyn Wollen.