Contact:
Nikki Stephan
Franco Public Relations Group
(313) 567-5029
stephan@franco.com

Delta Dental Foundation Awards Grant to the Capital Area Health Alliance
$5,000 grant will explore use of emergency rooms for dental services

OKEMOS, Mich., (May 21, 2007) – The Delta Dental Foundation (DDF), the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of Michigan, Ohio and Indiana, recently donated $5,000 to the Okemos, Mich.-based Capital Area Health Alliance (Alliance). Nancy Hostetler, senior vice president of the Delta Dental Foundation, made the announcement.

The Alliance will use the grant to fund a program titled Examining Alternatives to Dental Care in the Hospital Emergency Room. By using a task force of dentists, dental technicians, dental hygienists, dental program managers, public health professionals and emergency department physicians and medical personnel, the program will develop solutions to the growing problem of people using emergency rooms for treatment of dental problems and infections. Many people do not seek preventive dental care if they lack dental insurance or appropriate resources. As a result, dental problems grow severe and result in hospital emergency room visits – shifting care to the most expensive setting for treatment.

“The grant awarded to us by the Delta Dental Foundation will enable us to address the issue of people who use hospital emergency departments for dental problems and identify opportunities to provide the uninsured and indigent with access to dental treatment in appropriate settings,” said Valerie Glesnes-Anderson, executive director of the Alliance. “We are very grateful to Delta Dental for its support of this important project, which will most likely describe opportunities that can be replicated in other Michigan communities.”

“We are proud that the Delta Dental Foundation’s grant supporting the CAHA’s Examining Alternatives to Dental Care in the Hospital Emergency Room program will enable the task force to thoroughly address the many problems surrounding the growing issue of emergency room use for dental distress,” said Hostetler. “We look to our investment in this program as a way to increase access to dental care in settings alternative to the emergency room. Given the strong connection between oral health and overall health, our investment in this program will enhance the general health and well-being of those living in the greater Lansing area.”

The Delta Dental Foundation is a non-profit, 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.