The Connecticut Oral Health Initiative, Inc.

06/10/2026

June is ! This month, COHI celebrates the LGBTQ+ community and reaffirms our commitment to health equity for everyone. "Oral Health for All" means "Oral Health FOR ALL."

Everyone deserves access to quality, affordable oral health care, regardless of who they are, who they love, or how they identify. Yet barriers to care continue to impact many LGBTQ+ individuals, contributing to health disparities and unmet health care needs, including oral health.

Creating a healthier Connecticut means ensuring that every person feels welcomed, respected, and supported when seeking care. Together, we can build a future where oral health is truly for everyone. Happy Pride Month! 🌈🦷

06/09/2026

Join us TOMORROW for a great event to kick off ! COHI is proud to partner with the UConn Health Disparities Institute, UConn School of Dental Medicine, and Delta in presenting an "Oral Health and Menopause Lunch and Learn" on Wednesday, June 10, 2026 for medical/community health professionals and students! 🦷💕

Menopause is not just hot flashes; it can affect the mouth, teeth, gums, and overall health.

If you care for patients in midlife, this conversation belongs in your practice. This session will explore how menopause-related changes affect oral health and what providers can do.

This event is free and open to dental, medical, behavioral health, and community health professionals, including residents and students. While in person attendance is encouraged, virtual attendance is an option. Last chance to register - save your spot now! 🎟️ https://www.eventbrite.com/e/oral-health-menopause-lunch-learn-hybrid-tickets-1983822623871

06/06/2026

The auction closes at 8 PM EST tonight so it’s not too late for you to still make a bid and support our cause for better oral health for all!

🏷️ NOW OPEN: COHI's first-ever online silent auction is open NOW through Thursday, June 4 at 8:00 pm, and there is something for everyone!

🏖️Dreaming of your next getaway? Bid on a rainforest escape to Costa Rica, a week in a Tuscan villa, a Machu Picchu adventure, or closer to home with a cozy Vermont mountain retreat or family fun in Orlando. ⚾️ 🎶 Sports and pop culture fans will love signed memorabilia including a Joe Namath jersey, a Nolan Ryan photo, a Taylor Swift signed lightbox display, and a Jim Craig Miracle on Ice photo.

We are so excited to see so many of you at tonight's gathering! If you weren't able to grab tickets, you can still participate in our online auction and support our mission. ✨🦷

Every bid directly supports COHI's work to ensure every Connecticut resident has access to quality, affordable oral health care. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, your participation in this auction helps fuel the advocacy, education, and community programs that make that mission possible.

Browse items and place your bids at: tinyurl.com/COHIauction

06/06/2026

Congratulations to Representative Jane Garibay and all of our legislative champions this year!

06/03/2026

🎉 Celebrating 25 Years of COHI: Building a Future with Better Oral Health for All 🦷

Last night was truly a special evening as the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (COHI) celebrated 25 years of advocacy, collaboration, and progress toward ensuring every Connecticut resident has access to the oral health care they need and deserve.

Thank you to everyone who joined us for this milestone celebration and to all those who have supported COHI’s mission over the last quarter century. We are especially grateful to our sponsors, Board of Directors, staff, volunteers, and partners who made this incredible evening possible.

A special thank you to Governor Ned Lamont for joining us and sharing inspiring words about the importance of oral health as part of overall health. We were also honored to celebrate with COHI co-founder Dr. Howard Mark and his family, whose vision continues to inspire our work 25 years later.

Thank you to our keynote speaker, Mary Otto, for reminding us why this work matters and highlighting the challenges and opportunities ahead.

We were proud to recognize our incredible honorees:

🏆 Dr. Donna Balaski for her decades of leadership and dedication to improving oral health access across Connecticut.

🏆 Lisa Perry for her outstanding commitment and advocacy in support of healthier communities.

We were also proud to recognize our legislative champions who fight to improve health equity, expand access to care, and ensure oral health is recognized as essential to overall health:

🏛️ Representative Jane Garibay, Representative Jaime Foster, Representative Mitch Bolinsky, and Senator Paul Honig.

Last night was a celebration of everything we have accomplished together. But today, the work continues.

Too many children, families, older adults, veterans, individuals with disabilities, and underserved communities still face barriers to oral health care. The challenges ahead are real, but so is our commitment to solving them together.

For 25 years, COHI has brought people together to advance oral health for all.

Now we begin the next chapter. Together, we will keep advocating, collaborating, and building a healthier Connecticut. 💙🦷

06/02/2026

🏷️ NOW OPEN: COHI's first-ever online silent auction is open NOW through Thursday, June 4 at 8:00 pm, and there is something for everyone!

🏖️Dreaming of your next getaway? Bid on a rainforest escape to Costa Rica, a week in a Tuscan villa, a Machu Picchu adventure, or closer to home with a cozy Vermont mountain retreat or family fun in Orlando. ⚾️ 🎶 Sports and pop culture fans will love signed memorabilia including a Joe Namath jersey, a Nolan Ryan photo, a Taylor Swift signed lightbox display, and a Jim Craig Miracle on Ice photo.

We are so excited to see so many of you at tonight's gathering! If you weren't able to grab tickets, you can still participate in our online auction and support our mission. ✨🦷

Every bid directly supports COHI's work to ensure every Connecticut resident has access to quality, affordable oral health care. As we celebrate our 25th anniversary, your participation in this auction helps fuel the advocacy, education, and community programs that make that mission possible.

Browse items and place your bids at: tinyurl.com/COHIauction

05/28/2026

JUST ANNOUNCED: We are thrilled to confirm that Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont will be in attendance at our 25th Anniversary Gathering on June 2nd! 🦷✨

In addition to the Governor, we are honored to be hosting other distinguished guests such as Author Mary Otto, COHI Founder Dr. Howard I. Mark, Oral Health Champion Dr. Donna Balaski, and many more -- this will be a star-studded event you absolutely won't want to miss!

In honor of Governor Lamont's attendance, we're EXTENDING ticket sales one more day! Spots are very limited, so be sure to reserve your seat now at: https://tinyurl.com/COHI25Gathering

We hope to see you there! 🦷✨ 🎟️

05/26/2026

Thank you to our generous 25th Anniversary Gathering Event Sponsors! Our sponsors' support goes well beyond just making our gathering possible -- it bolsters COHI's efforts all year long to advocate for better oral health for all of Connecticut. We can't wait to celebrate with you just ONE WEEK from today! 🦷✨

05/19/2026

JUST ANNOUNCED: We are thrilled to present two of COHI's top honor awards to Dr. Donna Balaski and Lisa Perry at COHI's 25th Anniversary Gathering on June 2!

✨ 2026 Oral Health Champion Award: Dr. Donna Balaski ✨

A dentist by training with further specialty training in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Dr. Balaski brought her clinical expertise to public service when she joined Connecticut's Department of Social Services in 2004 to help redesign the state's Medicaid dental program. Over nearly two decades at DSS, she became one of Connecticut's most persistent and effective voices for Medicaid oral health benefits, advocating for periodontal coverage for adults and helping make Connecticut a national model for dental policy and care. Her work earned her national recognition and induction as a Fellow of the American College of Dentists, an honor reserved for only 3.5% of dentists nationwide.

Throughout her career, Dr. Balaski has navigated the political and fiscal landscape of public health with clarity of purpose: ensuring that the people who need care the most are never treated as an afterthought. What distinguishes her is not only the breadth of her accomplishments, but the conviction behind them. COHI is proud to honor her extraordinary dedication to Medicaid oral health services and to the residents of Connecticut she has served so faithfully.

✨ 2026 Howard I. Mark Award: Lisa Perry ✨

As Executive Director of the Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach and the Connecticut Mission of Mercy Free Dental Clinic, Lisa has become one of Connecticut's most respected leaders in dental public health. She is the driving force behind the Connecticut Mission of Mercy, organizing the state's largest volunteer-driven dental events and delivering free, high-quality care to hundreds of Connecticut residents each year.

What distinguishes Lisa is not only the scale of her work, but how she leads it: with integrity, transparency, and a deep belief that every Connecticut resident deserves access to oral health care delivered with dignity and respect. She fosters collaboration across organizations, disciplines, and communities, inspiring all those around her that meaningful change is possible. COHI is proud to honor Lisa's extraordinary commitment to ensuring that compassionate care reaches those who need it most.

Tickets are going fast - reserve your spot now so you can see these incredible oral health trailblazers receive their well-deserved recognition in person! 🦷✨ 🎟️ Sponsorships/tickets available at: https://tinyurl.com/COHI25Gathering

05/19/2026

Last weekend, the Connecticut Oral Health Initiative (COHI) was proud to attend the Connecticut State Dental Association (CSDA) Charter Oak Conference, where, thanks to CSDA, we once again had the opportunity to host our annual booth and share information about COHI’s work advocating for underserved communities and expanding access to oral health care.

It was wonderful connecting with so many oral health professionals, building new relationships, and catching up with friends and partners who share our commitment to improving oral health across Connecticut. It was especially great to meet and network with so many dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists who are making a difference every day.

It was also great seeing COHI Board President Dr. Brianna Munoz and Board Director Dr. Leslie Bumpus at the conference and thanking them for all they do to support COHI and our mission. A special thank you as well to CSDA Executive Director Kathlene Garrity, along with the entire CSDA staff and executive leadership team, for all of their hard work in putting together another successful conference and for their continued partnership.

COHI was represented by Executive Director Gary Turco, Policy Advocacy Director Sandra Ferreira, and an amazing team of volunteers: Mohamed, Sophie, and Hilary, who are all currently applying to dental school and hoping to continue making a difference in the field of oral health. Their passion, energy, and commitment to serving others are inspiring and a reminder that the future of oral health is in good hands.

Thank you to everyone who stopped by our booth. Together, we continue working toward a future where everyone has access to quality oral health care. 🦷