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, SCHOLARSHIPS AND CONTINUING EDUCATION PROGRAMS 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 CONTINUATIONFOR MANY PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY COMMUNITIES HISTORICALLY OR SYSTEMICALLY EXPOSED TO INEQUITIES, SIMPLY HAVING ACCESS TO A DENTIST IS NOT ENOUGH TO ACHIEVE GOOD ORAL HEALTH. WHAT THEY NEED ARE FAIR AND JUST OPPORTUNITIES AND ALL THE RESOURCES THEREIN TO LIVE THEIR BEST, HEALTHIEST LIVES, NO MATTER WHO THEY ARE OR WHERE THEY COME FROM. WHICH IS WHY THE FUND SUPPORTS PROGRAMS AIMED AT HEALTH EQUITY. IN 2022, 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 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, AND GRANTED $2 MILLION TO THE INDIANA UNIVERSITY (IU) SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY TO CONSTRUCT A CLINIC OF CARE FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES. SINCE INCEPTION, MORE THAN $2 MILLION HAS BEEN PROVIDED TO MORE THAN A THOUSAND DENTAL STUDENTS THROUGH SCHOLARSHIPS AND AWARDS. IN 2022, 18 DENTAL, DENTAL HYGIENE, AND DENTAL ASSISTANT STUDENTS FROM DENTAL AND DENTAL HYGIENE SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA RECEIVED FINANCIAL SUPPORT THROUGH THE FUND TO APPLY TOWARD THE COST OF EDUCATION. COMMUNITY COMMITMENT AWARDS OF $25,000 EACH WERE AWARDED TO FIVE GRADUATING DENTAL STUDENTS WHO COMMITTED TO PRACTICING FOR AT LEAST ONE YEAR IN AN IDENTIFIED HIGH-NEEDS COMMUNITY IN THE STATE IN WHICH THEY GRADUATED. WITH THE GOAL OF MAKING DENTAL EDUCATION MORE ACCESSIBLE, HELPING TO DIVERSIFY THE DENTAL PROFESSION, AND IMPROVING ORAL HEALTH EQUITY, THE DDF CONTINUED ITS $25,000 DIVERSITY DENTAL SCHOLARSHIP. GIVEN ANNUALLY, THIS SCHOLARSHIP IS AWARDED TO STUDENTS FROM SYSTEMICALLY DISADVANTAGED RACIAL AND ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS ENTERING DENTAL SCHOOL. IN 2022, FOR THE SECOND YEAR IN A ROW, SCHOLARSHIPS WERE GIVEN TO FIVE STUDENTS, 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 MAINTAIN A LICENSE IN SOME STATES. THE FUND ASSISTED PRACTICING DENTISTS BY SPONSORING AND CO-SPONSORING SEMINARS IN DENTAL SCIENCE AND RELATED TOPICS. IN 2022, THE FUND CONTINUED ITS PARTNERSHIP WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY TO SUPPORT TWO CONTINUING EDUCATION SEMINARS. IN ADDITION, FOR THE SECOND YEAR THE FUND PROVIDED $50,000 TO PENN DENTAL MEDICINE TO SPONSOR A VIRTUAL CONTINUING EDUCATION SERIES FOR DENTAL PROFESSIONALS AIMED AT INCREASING KNOWLEDGE OF HOW TO CARE FOR PATIENTS WITH DISABILITIES. IN 2022, THE COMMUNITY MINI-GRANT PROGRAM CONTINUED IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA. THROUGH THE PROGRAM, 87 ORGANIZATIONS WERE AWARDED A TOTAL OF $330,000 IN SMALL GRANTS OF $5,000 OR LESS TO IMPROVE ORAL HEALTH IN THE COMMUNITIES IN WHICH THE FUND SERVES. TWENTY NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATIONS WERE AWARDED FUNDING THROUGH THE NORTH CAROLINA SMILES FOR KIDS GRANT PROGRAM, WHICH FOCUSES EXCLUSIVELY ON CHILDREN'S ORAL HEALTH WITHIN THE STATE. THIS MARKED THE 12TH YEAR THAT THESE GRANTS HAVE BEEN OFFERED IN NORTH CAROLINA. THE FUND PROVIDED $1.5 MILLION TO THE MICHIGAN DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES TO IMPLEMENT THE KINDERGARTEN ORAL HEALTH ASSESSMENT PROGRAM IN ALL 45 LOCAL HEALTH DEPARTMENTS IN THE STATE. THE FUND 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. AN ADDITIONAL $42,282 WAS ALSO GRANTED TO THE SCIENCE CENTER FOR THE COMPLETION OF THE DELTA DENTAL GATHERING PLACE, A CAFETERIA FOCUSED ON HEALTHY CHOICES. THE FUND HAS SUPPORTED UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN SCHOOL OF DENTISTRY'S VICTORS FOR VETERANS PROGRAM SINCE 2017 AND HAS COMMITTED ADDITIONAL FUNDING OVER THE NEXT THREE YEARS. THE PROGRAM IS PART OF A FOUR-YEAR "IMMERSION PATHWAY" AT THE SCHOOL WHERE STUDENTS DIRECT THEIR OWN LEARNING THROUGH AN IMMERSIVE CAPSTONE PROJECT AND PROVIDE TREATMENT TO VETERANS FREE-OF-CHARGE. 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 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 CONTINUED TO OFFER IT TO SCHOOLS IN MICHIGAN, OHIO AND INDIANA. FORTY PERFORMANCES WERE PRESENTED TO SCHOOLS, WHICH REACHED THOUSANDS OF STUDENTS, TEACHERS AND PARENTS. THE FUND'S TOTAL GRANTS HAVE NOW EXCEEDED $54 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. EMPOWERED PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES ARE CRITICAL TO MAKING CREATIVE SOLUTIONS TO SYSTEMIC CHALLENGES POSSIBLE AND THAT MEANS SUPPORTING WORK BY AND FOR THE COMMUNITIES BEING SERVED. THE FUND IS COMMITTED TO CONTINUING AND ESTABLISHING STRONG TWO-WAY RELATIONSHIPS WITH THE PEOPLE AND ORGANIZATIONS ALIGNED WITH ITS AIMS.