DELTA DENTAL OF SOUTH CAROLINA CONTRIBUTES MORE THAN $500,000 TO SUPPORT COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVES IN 2019

COLUMBIA, SC. (Feb. 19, 2020) … To help meet the health needs of children and adults, Delta Dental of South Carolina—a leading dental benefits provider and non-profit organization—contributed more than $500,000 to support outreach initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that help educate people about the importance of dental health and provide free care to those who can’t afford it.  

“We’re working to help people of all ages access vital dental care and educational services, so they can live better lives through improved dental health,” said Rob Goren, president and chief executive officer at Delta Dental of South Carolina. “We’re proud to support organizations that align with our mission to improve oral health. As a non-profit, it’s just one of the many ways we give back to help meet the needs of those in the communities we serve.”

During 2019, Delta Dental of South Carolina awarded more than $385,000 in grant funding to the following organizations in South Carolina: 

  • East Cooper Community Outreach (Mount Pleasant, SC) – received $50,000 to purchase equipment for its free dental clinic, which provides preventive, restorative and surgical services to uninsured adults with low incomes in Lowcountry
  • EdVenture, Inc. (Hartsville, SC) – received $10,500 to install an interactive dental office exhibit at its Hartsville location, which features a dental chair, chair light, stools, an x-ray box, oversized mouth model and educational materials
  • Greenville Free Medical Clinic (Greenville, SC) – received $15,000 to upgrade dental equipment to provide preventive and restorative services to uninsured patients and those with low incomes in Greenville County
  • Healthy Smiles of Spartanburg (Spartanburg, SC) – received $35,000 to support the school-based Healthy Smiles Pediatric Oral Health program, which provides care to children in need through its free dental clinic
  • Helping Hands of Georgetown (Georgetown, SC) – received $70,000 to open a day clinic to provide free preventive and restorative services to residents with low incomes in Georgetown County
  • Mercy Medicine Free Clinic (Florence, SC) – received more than $5,300 to purchase dental equipment to provide restorative dental care to uninsured adults with low incomes
  • Mission Dental South Carolina, Inc. (Spartanburg, SC) – received $50,000 to purchase equipment and supplies for its new Spartanburg Community Dental Center 
  • Our Lady of Mercy Community Outreach (Charleston, SC) – received $50,000 to continue offering free dental care to the uninsured and families with low incomes through its Johns Island Clinic and also support future expansion of the program to the Neighborhood House clinic in downtown Charleston 
  • South Carolina Area Health Education Consortium – received $50,000 to support the South Carolina Rural Dentist Loan Repayment Program, which addresses South Carolina’s dental care provider shortages by contracting with dentists to treat patients in an underserved area for loan repayment assistance.
  • South Carolina Dental Association (Columbia, SC) – received $50,000 to support its Dental Access Days clinic, which provides free care to adults in need.

Delta Dental of South Carolina’s total charitable contributions in 2019 also included: 

  • Funding for Delta Dental of South Carolina’s Land of Smiles® educational program, which has visited hundreds of schools in the state each year since 2014, teaching good dental health habits to more than 166,000 children
  • Donations and free dental care supplies given to charitable and community organizations in South Carolina, to help improve the oral health and overall health of residents.

Applications for Delta Dental of South Carolina’s first grant cycle of its 2020 Oral Health Grant Program are now being accepted. To be eligible for oral health grants from Delta Dental of South Carolina, applicants must first complete a letter of intent through its online application system at https://www.deltadentalsc.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program, which includes program guidelines and application instructions. Applicants must be considered tax-exempt under 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, or be a public or governmental entity, such as a public school or health department, and serve the people 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 338,000 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. 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 https://www.DeltaDentalSC.com/ResourceGuide1. To learn more about the company, visit www.DeltaDentalSC.com.