DELTA DENTAL OF MISSOURI CONTRIBUTES
MORE THAN $1.5 MILLION TO SUPPORT
COMMUNITY OUTREACH INITIATIVES IN 2019


ST. LOUIS, MO. (Feb. 19, 2020) … To help meet the health needs of children and adults, Delta Dental of Missouri—the state’s dental benefits leader—last year contributed more than $1.5 million to support outreach initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that teach people about the importance of dental health and provide free care to those who can’t afford it.  

“Through our Mission Giving Program, 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 Missouri. “We’re proud to support organizations that align with our mission to improve oral health. And, 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 Missouri awarded more than $639,000 in grant funding to the following organizations in Missouri:

  • Boys & Girls Club of Greater St. Louis (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $25,000 to provide supplies and transportation for its members with low incomes to access dental care through the Herbert Hoover Club Dental Clinic in North St. Louis City
  • Clarity Healthcare (Hannibal, Mo.) – received $25,000 to expand dental care to mothers with low incomes and children in Hannibal, Paris and other cities in Monroe County, and to those living in Pike County
  • Cass Community Health Foundation (Kansas City, Mo.) – received $20,000 to help two Cass County Dental Clinics, located in Belton and Harrisonville, provide dental care to children in families with low incomes 
  • Community Clinic of Southwest Missouri (Joplin, Mo.) – received $15,000 to expand its efforts in providing dental care, education and hygiene supplies to people without dental insurance 
  • Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $11,000 in support of the organization’s annual collection drive, April Showers, which will distribute personal care items (including dental care products) to those in need and help connect families to dental care resources
  • Give Kids A Smile (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $75,000 to help provide free dental care to children in need through biannual clinics
  • Healthworks!® Kids’ Museum St. Louis (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $250,000 to provide oral health programming at the museum and in the community
  • Heartland Outreach Providers (Blue Springs, Mo.) – received more than $14,800 to purchase equipment and supplies for a second mobile dental office, which will provide care in rural areas in Jackson and Cass counties
  • Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services (Jefferson City, Mo.) – received $25,000 for the Missouri State Loan Repayment Program, which addresses Missouri’s dental care provider shortages by encouraging dentists to treat patients in an underserved area for loan repayment assistance
  • Nine Network Public Media (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $20,000 to expand Bright by Text, a statewide program that distributes oral health and child development information to a caregiver’s phone 
  • Public Health Fund (Troy, Mo.) – received more than $19,700 to purchase dental equipment for the Lincoln County Health Department Dental Clinic, which provides care to uninsured adults and children, and to those on Medicaid
  • Ronald McDonald House Charities of the Ozarks (Springfield, Mo.) – received $15,000 to support The Ronald McDonald Care Mobile Tooth Truck, which provides treatment, supplies and prevention education for at-risk children with no access to dental care
  • Saint Louis Public Schools (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $25,000 to install five water-filling stations in the district to increase student and faculty water intake and reduce sugary drink consumption and plastic water bottle waste 
  • St. Louis Children’s Hospital Foundation (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $50,000 to support its Healthy Kids Express™ Mobile Dental Program, which provides dental care free of charge to children, who are largely untreated due to family medical illiteracy, lack of insurance, and/or financial limitations
  • St. Louis Community College Foundation (St. Louis, Mo.) – received more than $39,200 to purchase equipment for dental hygiene and assistant students to use in the classroom and with patients in its community dental clinic
  • St. Louis County Library Foundation (St. Louis, Mo.) – received $10,000 to further its Born to Read Program, which distributes materials with oral health information to parents during a child’s first year at seven St. Louis County hospitals.

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

  • More than $385,000 in oral health grants awarded to organizations in South Carolina, where the company also does business
  • Funding for Delta Dental of Missouri’s Land of Smiles® educational program, which has visited hundreds of schools in Missouri each year since 2002, and in South Carolina since 2014, teaching good dental health habits to more than 1.1 million children 
  • Donations and free dental care supplies given to charitable and community organizations in Missouri and South Carolina, to help improve the oral health and overall health of residents.

Applications for Delta Dental of Missouri’s first grant cycle of its 2020 Oral Health Grant Program are now being accepted. To be eligible for an oral health grant from Delta Dental of Missouri, applicants in Missouri must first complete a letter of intent through its online application system at https://www.deltadentalmo.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program, which includes program guidelines and application instructions. Applicants in Missouri 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 Missouri.

Delta Dental of Missouri is the state’s leading dental benefits provider and a 501(c)(4) non-profit organization. It provides 1.9 million members 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. Delta Dental of Missouri also created the Missouri Dental Care Resource Guide to help individuals access information about low-cost and free dental care options in their area—available online at www.DeltaDentalMO.com/ResourceGuide1. To learn more about the company, visit www.DeltaDentalMO.com.

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