DELTA DENTAL OF MISSOURI AWARDS $141,000
IN ORAL HEALTH GRANTS TO AID MISSOURI RESIDENTS

Support is Part of $1.2 Million in Commitments to Improve Oral Health in Communities It Serves

St. Louis, MO (Sept. 10, 2019)... To help meet the dental health needs of children and adults, Delta Dental of Missouri – the state’s leading dental benefits provider – recently awarded $141,000 in grant funding to five organizations in St. Louis and Hannibal, Mo. This support is part of more than $1.2 million in funding commitments through the company’s 2019 Mission Giving Program, which supports oral health initiatives, educational programs and charitable causes that help educate people about the importance of dental health and provide free care to children and adults in need. 

“Our mission is to improve oral health and help everyone at every age have a healthy smile,” said Rob Goren, president and chief executive officer at Delta Dental of Missouri. “We’re excited to support a number of Missouri organizations to help more people access vital dental care and educational services, so they can live better lives through improved dental health.” 

The $141,000 in grant funding was awarded to the following organizations:

  • $75,000 – Give Kids A Smile (St. Louis, Mo.) – to help provide comprehensive dental care to children in need throughout the St. Louis region through free, biannual clinics
  • $10,000 – St. Louis County Library Foundation (St. Louis, Mo.) – to further the Born to Read Program, which distributes educational materials with information about oral health during a child’s first year of life to new parents at seven St. Louis County hospitals
  • $25,000 – Clarity Healthcare (Hannibal, Mo.) – to expand the comprehensive dental care provided to mothers with low incomes and children in Hannibal, Paris and other cities in Monroe County, as well as to those living in Pike County
  • $20,000 – Nine Network Public Media (St. Louis, Mo.) – to expand the reach of Bright by Text, a statewide program that distributes oral health and child development information to a caregiver’s phone 
  • $11,000 – Girl Scouts of Eastern Missouri (St. Louis, Mo.) – to support its April Showers initiative, which collects and distributes personal care items for those in need, and will help connect families with dental care resources

Delta Dental of Missouri’s more than $1.2 million in funding commitments include support for other key initiatives during the remainder of 2019. These include HealthWorks!® Kids’ Museum St. Louis, the Missouri Dental Sealant Program, the Healthy Kids Express Dental Program, as well as Missouri dental student loan repayment programs, which encourage dentists to serve in areas of need in exchange for assistance with repayment of educational loans. Delta Dental of Missouri’s 2019 Mission Giving Program will also help fund its long-running Land of Smiles® touring educational show, which visits hundreds of Missouri schools each year, teaching good dental health habits to tens of thousands of grade-schoolers. Remaining funds available through the company’s Mission Giving Program will be awarded in the coming months. 

Since 2014, Delta Dental of Missouri has contributed more than $10.3 million to mission giving for community outreach initiatives. To learn more about the company’s Oral Health Grant Program, visit https://www.deltadentalmo.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program.

About Delta Dental 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. To learn more, visit www.DeltaDentalMO.com.