THOUSANDS RECEIVE LIFE-CHANGING CARE WITH SUPPORT
FROM DELTA DENTAL OF MISSOURI ORAL HEALTH GRANTS
Grant Applications for 2025 will be Accepted Starting in February
ST. LOUIS (Dec. 17, 2024) … One in four adults with low incomes in Missouri say their mouth and teeth are in poor condition,1 and nearly 20% of adults ages 65+ have had all of their permanent teeth extracted due to decay or disease.2 To help change these statistics and provide older adults with the dental care they so desperately need, We Care Mobile Dental Foundation has been dedicated to providing crucial dental services and denture care to those with low incomes at assisted living facilities, skilled nursing homes and adult daycares in the City of St. Louis and in St. Louis and St. Charles counties. In part, thanks to life-changing oral health grants that the organization has received from Delta Dental of Missouri, We Care Mobile Dental Foundation has been able to assist more than 1,000 individuals, 65 years of age and older, during the past three years.
Since its inception in 2022, We Care Mobile Dental Foundation has received a total of $75,000 from Delta Dental of Missouri – including $25,000 as part of its most recent grant cycle. All funds have been used to support staff salaries, which is the foundation’s largest expense and is vital to the organization’s ability to provide dental exams, oral cancer screenings, digital x-rays, teeth cleanings, partial dentures and full dentures to older adults through onsite mobile care.
“When We Care Mobile Dental Foundation started in May of 2022, we felt confident in our mission and dedication to the St. Louis community; however, no one knew who we were – much less the impact we were trying to make for older adults with low incomes – until we applied for a grant from Delta Dental,” said Mary Simokaitis, executive director of We Care Mobile Dental Foundation. “We told our story, stated our mission and laid out our plan. They were the first organization to grant us funds to continue our work. We will forever be grateful to those who believed in us from the beginning, and because of their good faith, our facilities can continue to count on us as a reliable resource for their patients. We truly are changing people's lives for the better, and we could not do this without Delta Dental.”
An 82-year-old patient of the We Care Mobile Dental Foundation echoed her sentiment about the impact of the services provided, stating, "I could not eat solid foods. It affected my health, my ability to function, my everything. With the work I had done, I feel like We Care Mobile Dental Foundation has given me my life back."
The state’s leading dental benefits provider and a non-profit organization, Delta Dental of Missouri has provided millions of dollars in support of organizations that align with its mission to improve oral health and help Missourians access vital dental treatment and educational services. In the last two years alone, the company provided more than $1.5 million in funding to 39 organizations across Missouri.
“Our passion and our purpose is to help people of all ages live better lives through improved dental health,” said Stacy Harris, supervisor of community outreach at Delta Dental of Missouri. “By donating grants to a variety of organizations – like We Care Mobile Dental Foundation – we can help connect thousands of people to essential dental resources to enhance their overall health and quality of life.”
Delta Dental of Missouri awards grants annually to select organizations for general operations, programs, projects and capacity-building efforts promoting the oral health of individuals in Missouri. Objectives of its grant program include the following:
• 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 Missourians
• Helping to ensure that Missouri is among the states with the highest indicators of oral health.
Grant applications for 2025 consideration will be accepted starting on February 3, 2025. To learn more, visit https://www.deltadentalmo.com/AboutUs/oral-health-grant-program.
1https://www.ada.org/-/media/project/ada-organization/ada/ada-org/files/resources/research/hpi/oralhealthwell-being-statefacts/Missouri-Oral-Health-Well-Being.pdf
2https://health.mo.gov/living/families/oralhealth/pdf/missouri-state-totals.pdf
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 more than 2.37 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. 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. 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.