DELTA DENTAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA AWARDS $190,000 IN GRANTS TO HELP PEOPLE GET VITAL DENTAL CARE
COLUMBIA, SC. (Jan 31, 2024) … To help meet the dental health needs of children and adults, Delta Dental of South Carolina – a leading dental benefits provider and a non-profit organization – last year awarded $190,000 in oral health grants to five organizations to support oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes across South Carolina. The funding is part of the company’s annual mission giving initiatives.
“So many of our neighbors suffer without access to critical dental care,” said Rob Goren, president and chief executive officer at Delta Dental of South Carolina. “By donating grants to a variety of organizations that align with our mission to improve oral health, together we can help thousands of people get vital treatment and services to enhance their overall health and quality of life.”
In 2023, Delta Dental of South Carolina awarded oral health grants to the following organizations in the state:
• Healthy Learners (Columbia) – received $25,000 to support the costs for providing complex dental services to children, who are not eligible for Medicaid, and whose families have low incomes and no dental benefits coverage.
• Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg’s Pediatric Oral Health Program (Spartanburg) – received $50,000 to help support staff salaries, and purchase equipment and clinical, dental and educational/screening supplies for its program.
• Mercy Medicine Free Clinic (Florence) – received $15,000 to help support the salary of its dental coordinator who oversees the scheduling, staffing and purchasing for its free medical and dental care clinics for uninsured adults with low incomes.
• Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach (Johns Island) – received $50,000 to help purchase two intra-oral cameras, a panoramic X-ray machine and consumable dental supplies, and support a portion of a dental assistant salary to enable the organization to continue to provide preventive and restorative dental services for individuals with no insurance in rural and urban low-income communities.
• South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium’s Rural Loan Repayment Program (Charleston) – received $50,000 to help fund the salary for a dentist to provide dental care for people in underserved rural areas.
The company awards grants twice annually for general operations, programs, projects and capacity-building efforts promoting the oral health of individuals in South Carolina. Objectives of its grant program include:
• Reducing oral disease through education, prevention and treatment
• Ensuring access to affordable, timely and high-quality dental care
• Enhancing the awareness of good oral health with a focus on children and individuals in need
• Making a measurable difference in the oral health of South Carolinians
• Helping to ensure that South Carolina is among the states with the highest indicators of oral health
To learn more, visit https://www.deltadentalsc.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program.
About Delta Dental of South Carolina
Delta Dental of South Carolina is a trade name of Delta Dental of Missouri, a dental benefits provider and a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization, which operates in South Carolina under that name. It provides more than 330,000 members in South Carolina with access to affordable, high-quality dental care through group plans tailored to meet the needs of organizations of all sizes, from large corporations to small businesses with two or more employees. Delta Dental also offers dental benefit plans directly to individuals and families. It also provides access to affordable, high-quality vision care through group vision benefit plans. The company proudly supports oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that help educate people about the importance of dental health and provide free dental care to those in need. It also created the South Carolina Dental Care Resource Guide to help individuals access information about low-cost and free dental care options in their area—available online at www.DeltaDentalSC.com/ResourceGuide1. To learn more about the company, visit www.DeltaDentalSC.com.