Today, the Delta Dental Institute released its 2023 Community Impact Report, “Our mission: your health.” Last year, Delta Dental invested over $106 million to support programs in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico, impacting over 16 million lives. These investments supported programs focused on expanding access to care, advancing health equity, building resilient communities and innovating for a healthier tomorrow. Over the last decade, Delta Dental has invested nearly $2 billion to support such programs in communities across the country.
This included over $465,000 invested to support oral health initiatives, educational programs and community outreach events by Columbia-based company, Delta Dental of South Carolina, which benefitted over 72,000 individuals in the state.
“Everyone deserves a healthy smile, so it’s our privilege to contribute to Delta Dental’s nationwide impact by supporting community initiatives that help our neighbors throughout South Carolina,” said Rob Goren, president and CEO at Delta Dental at South Carolina, a leading dental benefits provider. “As a non-profit organization and a Delta Dental member company, we put donated funds to work year-round, especially those that help children and adults get vital dental care and services to improve their overall health and quality of life.”
The report, issued annually, tells the story of the investments that Delta Dental companies, their foundations and community partners made last year to positively impact the oral and overall health of their communities.
Highlights from the report include:
• Expanding access to care: Delta Dental provided more than 1.7 million free or low-cost dental screenings and exams, distributed over 1.8 million oral health kits and supplied nearly 200,000 students with free sealants to help more people access oral healthcare. To elevate the overall health of the communities we serve, we invested more than $14 million in community health and wellness programs.
• Advancing health equity: Delta Dental invested over $21 million in training, education and workforce development programs to improve patient outcomes. We launched the Driving Greater Diversity in the Oral Health Workforce campaign, and invested $725,000 in the inaugural year of our industry-leading Delta Dental Oral Health Diversity Fund, to help ensure the next generation of the oral health workforce better reflects the communities we serve.
• Building resilient communities: Last year, Delta Dental team members dedicated more than 30,000 hours to community service programs. We distributed more than $1.4 million toward disaster relief and related activities, largely through our partnership with the American Red Cross, and our water filtration systems helped eliminate the use of over 1.3 million water bottles.
• Innovating for a healthier tomorrow: Delta Dental partners with leading organizations and academic institutions on research to create solutions that will advance the future of oral and overall healthcare. Last year, more than 2,700 physicians and oral health professionals participated in programs to apply medical-dental integration practices in their care settings, supporting over 107,000 patients.
Delta Dental also celebrates five years of the Delta Dental Institute, which was launched in 2019 to advance oral health for all Americans and to shine a brighter spotlight on the connection between oral and overall health. Since then, the Delta Dental Institute has led and engaged in significant research, community outreach and advocacy initiatives designed to ensure that everyone understands this important connection and has access to the care they need. Today, an overwhelming majority of Americans recognize oral health as a critical part of overall health, showing that our work, and that of our community partners, is making a difference.
The report also includes a new video and an interactive map featuring programs in all 50 states, Washington, D.C. and Puerto Rico. The full report is available online at www.deltadentalinstitute.com/cir.
About Delta Dental Plans Association
Based in Chicago, Illinois, Delta Dental Plans Association is the not-for-profit national association of the 39 independent Delta Dental companies. Through these companies, Delta Dental is the nation’s largest dental benefits provider, and offers the country’s largest dental network with approximately 152,000 participating dentists. Over the last decade, Delta Dental companies and their foundations invested nearly $2 billion to improve the oral and overall health of our communities.
About the Delta Dental Institute
The Delta Dental Institute advances oral health for all Americans in partnership with Delta Dental companies and dedicated partners across the country. With expertise rooted in Delta Dental’s rich history of oral health leadership, we engage in and support oral health research, community outreach and advocacy, striving to ensure that everyone understands the importance of oral health to overall health and has access to the care they need. Visit www.deltadentalinstitute.com for more information.
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 370,000 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.
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For more information, contact:
Kelly Harris
(314)436-9090
kelly@hausergrouppr.com