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Delta Dental Foundation Awards Grant to City of
Gary Health and Human Service Division
Grant to fund oral health initiatives at Maternal Child Health Clinic in Lake County
OKEMOS, Mich., (May 21, 2007) – The Delta Dental Foundation (DDF), the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, recently donated $4,900 to the City of Gary Health and Human Service Division to provide preventive oral health services and educational materials to Lake County area residents receiving assistance at the Maternal Child Health Clinic (MCH Clinic). Nancy Hostetler, senior vice president of the DDF, made the announcement.
The MCH Clinic serves Lake County area pregnant women and their children who are uninsured or underinsured. The DDF grant will provide the MCH Clinic with oral health supplies such as toothpaste, toothbrushes and dental floss. Additionally, the grant will support the services of a community health worker to distribute oral health education materials in schools, doctor’s offices and at health screenings throughout Lake County.
“We are very pleased to award this grant to the Maternal Child Health Clinic as a means to help stress the importance of good oral health to pregnant women and their children,” said Hostetler. “It’s vitally important that good oral hygiene skills are taught to mothers so they, in turn, can educate their children.”
The grant is designed to educate an estimated 5,000 Lake County families on good oral health practices.
“We are grateful to receive this grant from the Delta Dental Foundation," said Shirley Hawkins, director of the City of Gary Health and Human Service Division. "The best way to acquire good oral health is through preventive measures, and the DDF grant will allow us to get oral health materials directly into the hands of pregnant women and their children.
Through the MCH Clinic, we also hope to alert pregnant women that poor oral
health may result in premature births – a circumstance we all want to prevent.”
The Delta Dental Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization established in 1980 by Delta Dental of Michigan, which also operates Delta Dental of Ohio and Delta Dental of Indiana. The Foundation’s goals are to support education and research for the advancement of dental science and to promote the oral health of the public through education and service activities, particularly for those with special needs. For more information, visit www.deltadentalmi.com.
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