Delta Dental Fund

SEE SCHEDULE O DELTA DENTAL FUND'S MISSION IS TO IMPROVE THE ORAL HEALTH OF THE PUBLIC AND TO ADVANCE DENTAL SCIENCE AND THE DENTAL PROFESSION THROUGH RESEARCH AND EDUCATION.

THE DELTA DENTAL FUND'S (FUND) MISSION IS TO DEVELOP AND ENHANCE PARTNERSHIPS AND PROGRAMS TO IMPROVE ORAL AND OVERALL HEALTH. THE FUND HAS BEEN COMMITTED TO THIS PURPOSE FOR OVER FOUR DECADES. OVER THAT TIME, THOUSANDS HAVE BENEFITED FROM GRANTS AND SCHOLARSHIPS PROVIDED BY THE FUND. SINCE IT WAS ESTABLISHED IN 1980, THE FUND HAS CONTINUALLY INCREASED ITS EFFORTS TO ACHIEVE THESE GOALS IN MICHIGAN, OHIO, INDIANA AND NORTH CAROLINA. SEE SCHEDULE O FOR CONTINUATIONSINCE 1980, THE INAUGURAL YEAR FOR THE FUND, OVER 1000 DENTAL STUDENTS HAVE BEEN SUPPORTED THROUGH THE SCHOLARSHIP PROGRAM AND STUDENT LEADERSHIP AWARDS. IN 2021, 27 DENTAL, DENTAL HYGIENE, AND DENTAL ASSISTANT STUDENTS FROM DENTAL AND DENTAL HYGIENE SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA, RECEIVED FINANCIAL GRANTS THROUGH THE FUND TO APPLY TOWARD THE COST OF EDUCATION. THE FUND HAS PROVIDED NEARLY $2 MILLION IN SCHOLARSHIPS SINCE ITS INCEPTION. FURTHER, COMMUNITY COMMITMENT AWARDS OF $25,000 EACH WERE AWARDED TO FIVE GRADUATING DENTAL STUDENTS WHO COMMITTED TO PRACTICING FOR ONE YEAR IN AN IDENTIFIED HIGH-NEEDS COMMUNITY IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA.WITH THE GOAL OF MAKING DENTAL EDUCATION MORE ACCESSIBLE, HELPING TO DIVERSIFY THE DENTAL PROFESSION, AND IMPROVING ORAL HEALTH EQUITY, THE DDF LAUNCHED A NEW, $25,000 DIVERSITY DENTAL SCHOLARSHIP IN 2021. GIVEN ANNUALLY, THIS SCHOLARSHIP WILL BE AWARDED TO A STUDENT FROM A SYSTEMICALLY DISADVANTAGED RACIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUND ENTERING DENTAL SCHOOL. THE SCHOLARSHIPS ARE GIVEN TO ONE STUDENT FROM EACH DENTAL SCHOOL IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA.EDUCATION DOES NOT STOP WITH GRADUATION. CONTINUING EDUCATION IS NECESSARY TO STAY CURRENT WITH ADVANCEMENTS IN TREATMENT AND POLICIES AND IS MANDATORY TO MAINTAINING A LICENSE IN SOME STATES. THE FUND ASSISTED PRACTICING DENTISTS BY SPONSORING AND CO-SPONSORING SEMINARS IN DENTAL SCIENCE AND RELATED TOPICS. IN 2021, THE FUND PARTNERED WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY TO SUPPORT TWO CONTINUING EDUCATION SEMINARS, THAT WERE ATTENDED BY OVER 150 DENTAL PROFESSIONALS.IN 2021, THE COMMUNITY MINI-GRANT PROGRAM CONTINUED IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA. THROUGH THE PROGRAM, 66 ORGANIZATIONS WERE AWARDED A TOTAL OF OVER $213,000 IN SMALL GRANTS OF $5,000 OR LESS TO IMPROVE ORAL HEALTH IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THE FUND SERVES. NINETEEN NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WERE AWARDED FUNDING THROUGH THE SMILES FOR KIDS GRANT PROGRAM, WHICH FOCUSES EXCLUSIVELY ON CHILDREN'S ORAL HEALTH. 2021 MARKED THE ELEVENTH YEAR THAT THESE GRANTS HAVE BEEN OFFERED IN NORTH CAROLINA. IN 2021, THE FUND CONTINUED TO RESPOND TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC. THE FUND AWARDED $440,000 TO SAFETY-NET DENTAL CLINICS IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA THROUGH THE COVID-19 DENTAL EQUIPMENT FUND. QUALIFIED APPLICANTS INCLUDED FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS, COMMUNITY HEALTH DEPARTMENTS, SCHOOL-BASED DENTAL CENTERS, VOLUNTEER CLINICS, AND OTHER SAFETY-NET DENTAL CLINICS. IN 2021, THE FUND SUPPORTED PROGRAMS FOCUSED ON ACCESS TO ORAL HEALTH CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES INCLUDING: THE MEDICAID MEDICARE CHIP SERVICES DENTAL ASSOCIATION FOR EXPLORATION OF A MEDICAID CARVE-OUT TO PROTECT DENTAL BENEFITS FOR THOSE WITH DISABILITIES, PROVIDER TRAINING BY FUNDING AN ENDURING SERIES OF FREE, ONLINE COURSES OFFERED THROUGH PENN DENTAL MEDICINE AND THE NATIONAL ALL SMILES SHINE CAMPAIGN AND ASSOCIATED APP, DESIGNED TO HELP CHILDREN WITH AUTISM HAVE BETTER DENTAL VISITS. THE FUND ALSO COMMITTED MORE THAN $500,000 TO DEVELOP CENTERS FOR INCLUSIVE DENTISTRY, A PROJECT TO PROVIDE RESOURCES AND IMMERSIVE TRAINING TO DELIVER HIGH-QUALITY DENTAL TREATMENT TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AT DESIGNATED FEDERALLY QUALIFIED HEALTH CENTERS.IN ADDITION, TWO LARGE PROJECTS CAME TO FRUITION: THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY'S DELTA DENTAL INTEGRATED SPECIAL CARE CLINIC AND THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY COLLEGE OF DENTISTRY'S DELTA DENTAL FOUNDATION AMBULATORY SURGICAL CENTER. BOTH OF THESE CLINICS WERE DESIGNED TO CARE FOR INDIVIDUALS WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES AND OPENED THEIR DOORS IN 2021. TO FURTHER THE FUND'S COMMITMENT TOWARD EDUCATING AND TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF PROVIDERS TO BETTER SERVE PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES (AND PROMOTE MEDICAL-DENTAL INTEGRATION), THE DDF ALSO GRANTED NEARLY $150,000 TO THE OHIO STATE UNIVERSITY NISONGER CENTER. THE NISONGER CENTER AIMS TO EXPAND THEIR ABILITY TO TRAIN ORAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS WHO CAN BEST CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH INTELLECTUAL AND DEVELOPMENTAL DISABILITIES.THE FUND ALSO RENEWED FUNDING FOR THE IMPRESSION 5 SCIENCE CENTER STEM KIT PROGRAM. EVERY OTHER MONTH, IMPRESSION 5 SCIENCE CENTER DISTRIBUTES EDUCATION KITS TO HEAD START CHILDREN THREE TO FIVE YEARS OLD IN THE LANSING, MICHIGAN, AREA. EACH KIT HAS A DIFFERENT THEME, INCLUDING SCIENCE AND ORAL HEALTH, WITH CONCEPTS THAT INCORPORATE SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT, LITERACY AND MATH.THE FUND HAS HELPED FUND VICTORS FOR VETERANS SINCE 2017 AND HAS COMMITTED AN ADDITIONAL $270,000 OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. THE PROGRAM IS PART OF A FOUR-YEAR "IMMERSION PATHWAY" AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY, WHEREIN STUDENTS DIRECT THEIR OWN LEARNING THROUGH AN IMMERSIVE CAPSTONE PROJECT. THE FUND CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES FOR THE SEAL MICHIGAN SCHOOL-BASED SEALANT AND COMMUNITY WATER FLUORIDATION PROGRAMS, AS WELL AS THE OHIO DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH FOR THEIR FLUORIDATION ASSISTANCE PROGRAM. THE FUND HAS HEARD, TIME AND TIME AGAIN, THAT WHILE MANY OPTIONS FOR AFFORDABLE DENTAL CARE EXIST, FEW PEOPLE ACTUALLY KNOW ABOUT OR TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THEM. TO HELP MAKE MORE OF THOSE CONNECTIONS, THE FUND LAUNCHED SMILE HELP NOW, A WEB-BASED DIRECTORY THAT HELPS USERS FIND A PROVIDER IN MICHIGAN, OHIO OR INDIANA WHO PROVIDES NO- OR LOW-COST CARE, CHARGES ON A SLIDING-FEE SCALE OR ACCEPTS MEDICAID. THE FUND CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH MCMILLEN HEALTH BY PROVIDING FUNDING FOR THE BRUSH PRE-SCHOOL ORAL HEALTH PROGRAM AND "I NEED MY TEETH," AN ORAL HEALTH MUSICAL PRODUCTION. MCMILLEN CONTINUED PROVIDING THE ASSEMBLY IN A LIVE VIRTUAL FORMAT AND CONTINUE TO OFFER IT TO SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA. FORTY PERFORMANCES WERE PRESENTED TO SCHOOLS, WHICH REACHED 3782 STUDENTS. 175 TEACHERS AND MORE THAN 300 PARENTS. THE FUND'S TOTAL GRANTS HAVE NOW EXCEEDED $47 MILLION SINCE ITS INCEPTION. THIS FUNDING HAS IMPROVED ORAL AND OVERALL HEALTH AND HEALTH EQUITY, AND HELPED STUDENTS ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS AND IMPROVED THE WELL-BEING OF THOUSANDS OF CHILDREN AND ADULTS IN THE TRISTATES AND NORTH CAROLINA.