Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation Awards Nearly $250,000 To Improve Children’s Oral Health
17 Illinois organizations receive 2023 Community Grants.
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Nov. 8, 2023) - Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of Illinois, awarded nearly $250,000 to 17 nonprofit and community organizations through its annual Community Grants Program. Each organization shares the Foundation’s mission of improving health and well-being throughout Illinois, especially for children.
“Healthcare disparities continue to make it difficult for many Illinois children to receive necessary oral health care,” says Lora Vitek, executive director of the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation. “With our annual Community Grants Program, we’re continuing to help alleviate obstacles to dental care by partnering with and supporting organizations statewide to make sure Illinois children can access quality health care.”
Since 2012, Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation’s Community Grants Program has provided more than $2 million to support organizations that help increase access to oral health care and education. The following organizations are Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation’s 2023 Community Grants Program recipients:
America’s ToothFairy, Illinois
America’s ToothFairy will use funding for their Illinois Smile Guardian Food Bank Initiative that serves as a community touchpoint to deliver oral health education and resources for children and families. Food bank partners will receive activity booklets, brushing charts, and informative brochures that will emphasize nutrition and locating a safety net dental provider.
Bond County Health Department, Greenville
Bond County Health Department will use funding to support installation, construction, and equipment for an overflow operatory at the Bond County Health Department Clinic to increase clinic productivity and access to care.
Cats Care, Hanover
Cats Care provides services to Illinoisans in Hanover, Elizabeth, and Jo Daviess counties, where there is no dental program to support low-income or uninsured students. A large number of these students have significant oral health issues that continue to decline. This grant will provide transportation to and from the dentist for these students, ensuring they get the care they need.
Chicago Family Health Center (CFHC), Chicago
Dental services are offered at two of the six Chicago Family Health Center sites: South Chicago and Pullman. These dental services are part of the organization’s integrated care model, which makes medical, behavioral health, and dental services accessible to all. The grant will be used to purchase a new compressor and two additional digital X-ray machines for its South Chicago site to better serve its dental patients.
Girls in the Game, Bloomington and Chicago
Girls in the Game Elementary After School program offers activities in an all-girl setting that include playing sports, learning about healthy lifestyle choices, and improving leadership skills. Funding will add a personal hygiene education module, emphasizing oral health for 650 participants.
Henderson County Rural Health Center (dba Eagle View Community Health Center), Oquawka
Henderson County Rural Health Center serves Henderson, Mercer, McDonough, and Warren counties through Eagle View Community Health System (EVCHS). A Federally Qualified Health Center, EVCHS provides medical, dental, and behavioral health services to patients from socioeconomically and geographically underserved areas. EVCHS will use the grant to support oral health education sessions at Head Start programs in Henderson and Warren counties for kindergarten, third, and sixth-grade classes at the West Central School District, and for children of all ages at its annual health fair.
Hult Center for Healthy Living, Peoria
Hult Center for Healthy Living (HCHL) provides health education programs and wellness resources for Central Illinois, including youth dental education programs. HCHL will use funding to implement their Tooth or Consequences Program for 1,000 pre-kindergarten through first-grade low-income students. HCHL will conduct pre- and post-tests to measure knowledge gained. Children who participate will use hands-on props to practice brushing and flossing and receive an oral health bag, with a toothbrush, toothpaste, and information for parents and caregivers about the oral health habits learned.
IWS Family Health, Chicago
IWS Family Health delivers oral health services to underserved children. IWS estimates more than 4,000 underserved children 17 years and younger will have access to equitable oral health care, education, prevention, and treatment as a result of this grant.
McDonough County Health Department, Macomb
The McDonough County Health Department is using funding to help expand their dental education services to children in the county. The Health Department will implement a program that bridges the gap between basic dental services provided in school and the need for more extensive services, such as fillings and extractions.
Milestone Dental Clinic, Rockford
Milestone Dental Clinic strives to develop individualized treatment plans to meet the needs of each patient with a developmental disability. The grant will help cover costs for preventive services, such as exams, cleanings, and fluoride, for patients without private insurance or Medicaid coverage. It will also be used to cover services not covered by private insurance or Medicaid.
PCC Community Wellness Center, Chicago
PCC’s Oral Health Program offers oral health services at PCC Austin Family Health Center and PCC South Family Health Center. PCC will use the grant to purchase a panoramic radiograph machine, which allows for important diagnostics for children and teens. Diagnostics include the assessment of growth and development, spacing and position of teeth, maxillofacial trauma, and assessment of oral pathology.
Promise Healthcare, Champaign
Promise Healthcare will use the grant to support the opening of the new Kirby Dental Clinic by providing equipment to outfit two dental operatories. The new clinic will support the unmet need for affordable, high-quality dental services in Champaign County.
Riverbend Head Start and Family Services, Alton
The Oral Health Education and Access Project provides oral health services for at-risk children under the age of five, including oral health education for children and their caregivers. Funding will support dental screenings, treatments, and surgeries for families who may not otherwise receive services.
Southern Illinois University Dental Hygiene Program, Carbondale
The Southern Illinois University Carbondale dental hygiene program will use the grant to purchase dental chairs to provide oral health care and education to 350 children living in under-resourced rural communities.
Kennedy School at St. Coletta’s, Tinley Park
Kennedy School at St. Coletta’s will use the grant to provide oral hygiene education to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. To promote lifelong healthy habits, students will learn about proper brushing and flossing methods, ideal nutrition, visiting the dentist, and the importance of maintaining a healthy smile.
TCA Health, Chicago
The WCC Pediatric Dental Clinic and First Tooth Visit Program provide comprehensive oral health care services and education for low‐income children at low‐ or no‐cost. In addition to clinic support, funding will support the development of curriculum and training for a new adolescent mental health and oral health program for community mental and behavioral health providers in Kane County. The curriculum will include learning objectives, data-driven content, clinical considerations, and practical recommendations for mental/behavioral health providers working with adolescents related to oral health concerns.
Well Child Center (WCC), Elgin
The WCC Pediatric Dental Clinic and First Tooth Visit Program provide comprehensive oral health care services and education for low‐income children at low‐ or no‐cost. In addition to clinic support, funding will support the development of curriculum and training for a new adolescent mental health and oral health program for community mental and behavioral health providers in Kane County. The curriculum will include learning objectives, data-driven content, clinical considerations, and practical recommendations for mental/behavioral health providers working with adolescents related to oral health concerns.
The next Community Grants Program application cycle is tentatively scheduled for late summer 2024. For more information on the Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation Community Grants Program and/or to support the Foundation, visit deltadentalil.com/community-grants.
About Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation
Delta Dental is the national dental benefits leader covering 1 in 3 Americans who have dental coverage. Delta Dental of Illinois is one of 39 member companies that make up the national Delta Dental system. Based in Naperville, Illinois, Delta Dental of Illinois provides dental benefit programs to more than 6,500 Illinois companies and covers 2 million individuals, employees, and family members nationwide. Delta Dental of Illinois is committed to improving health and well-being in our community and furthers this commitment through the work of its 501(c)(3) charitable arm, Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation. In the past decade, combined efforts of Delta Dental of Illinois and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation have provided more than $30 million to programs and organizations in Illinois that improve the oral health of the state’s residents. For additional information, visit deltadentalil.com/ddilfoundation.
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