by S. Rotan Hale
Representatives of New Horizons Healthcare welcomed a group of healthcare professionals to their facility Tuesday, March 4 at 1502 Williamson Rd. NW as Delta Dental of Virginia (DDV) announced their largest statewide funding initiative ever.
Poly Rible executive Director Delta Dental was among the speakers who proudly announced the $950,000 grant that will be distributed to 14 safety net clinics and education centers focused on improving oral health in a number of communities throughout the state.
The grant funds represent the foundation’s largest total statewide grant distribution to date in support of Virginia’s oral health safety net. The Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation’s grant program supports its three pillows of service: supporting dental safety, net clinics, boosting prevention and advancing oral health education.
“Working together with our partners throughout the state, we support the dental workforce and bring care to vulnerable and underserved populations in need of oral health, education, care, and support,” said Frank Lucia, Delta Dental of Virginia president, and chief executive officer.
Virginia safety net helps ensure that people who are uninsured or receive Medicaid have access to oral healthcare. The safety net is made up of 31 federally qualified health centers with more than 200 locations and over 63 free clinics and various supporting organizations such as hospital systems and Virginia community colleges.
Among the local recipients of the funding were Bradley Free Clinic, Child Health Investment Partnership (CHIP) and New Horizon Healthcare (NHH).
During her comments to the crowd gathered at the event, Polly Raible, executive director, Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation (DDVF) spoke briefly about several of the many projects launched by the foundation. Among them was a local school-based oral health program involving Roanoke and Salem city schools funded in partnership with the Virginia Department of Health in conjunction with Virginia Health Catalyst which helped to run the program.
“We pick a few clinics every year and work with them for an entire year and give them the tools they need to go into the schools and provide preventive care to uninsured Medicaid students,” explained Raible. “They get tools like portable equipment, parental consent forms, education about teledentistry and all the tools they need to provide that care.”
Melanie Ham, board chair, NHH, expressing from a stated “personal perspective” said, “ I believe that as people we have sacred responsibilities concerning the care of children on a path to a healthy and meaningful life. Through Delta Dental grants New Horizons will grow further in supporting children to a healthy future. Dental care in schools reaching the most children at the earliest stage provides primary prevention for a range of health problems going forward.”
Closing things out, NHH CEO Jonathan Stewart briefly spoke on the post pandemic challenges the organization experienced and proceeded to recognize the dental team and staff who pulled them through tough times after an “organizational reset.”
In gratitude to the funding efforts Stewart said, “The energy that comes out of Delta Dental is a true passion and really a very infectious passion.” He also mentioned certain visionaries who (along with others) birthed Kuumba Wellness Center in the early 90’s that later became New Horizons Healthcare.
“Rev. Bill Lee, Linda Manns and others, 25 years ago this year, had a vision that went beyond responsibility to a church congregation. They recognized that, the health of their church (Loudon Ave. Christian Church) was not just about their spiritual health but also about their physical health and also about their oral and mental health,” Stewart acknowledged. “I respect that vision and we at New Horizons are part of championing that vision throughout the entire community.”
According to a recent oral health workforce gap assessment published by Virginia’s Future of Public Health Taskforce, there are two major workforce challenges facing Virginia. Alarming statistics show: first that there are not enough oral health professionals in every locality of the Commonwealth to adequately serve the community.
Secondly, there are not enough oral health professionals who serve uninsured, underinsured or Medicaid insured Virginians. In fact, 103 of Virginia’s 133 localities are designated as Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas and nearly 30% of Virginia’s dental workforce is expected to retire in the next decade.
To meet this growing need The Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation is partnering with organizations throughout the state to implement programs supporting Virginia’s oral health, workforce including the development and funding of a statewide Loan Repayment Program for emerging dentist, the creation of the Dental Health Summer Institute at ODU School of Dentistry to provide high school students an immersive week-long dental experience and a strategic focus on awarding grants that support projects focused on workforce programs.
Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation is committed to improving the oral health of all Virginia‘s created in 2012 by Delta dental of Virginia. The foundation has invested more than $14 million to support education program development and community partnerships that help create healthy smiles in Virginia through improved access to oral healthcare education and research.
