Delta Dental Funds Renovation of St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Dental Clinic

NASHVILLE, Tenn., Aug. 10, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Delta Dental of Tennessee (Delta Dental) and St. Jude Children's Research Hospital® of Memphis recently celebrated the re-opening of the dental clinic located inside the hospital's Patient Care Center.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110810/DE50020 )

The renovated clinic now has a completely new floor plan which provides a much more patient-friendly facility and accommodates new equipment donated to the clinic by Henry Schein Dental and Midmark. Delta Dental contributed $200,000 to fund the necessary construction.

"We are so grateful to Delta Dental of Tennessee and its staff for their support of the kids of St. Jude," said Richard Shadyac Jr., CEO of ALSAC, the fundraising organization of St. Jude. "Every day, we see the smiles on the faces of our patients – children who know hope thanks to our lifesaving care and treatment. The St. Jude Dental clinic is important to our philosophy of providing holistic patient care, and we appreciate Delta Dental's commitment to our mission of finding cures and saving children."

The St. Jude Children's Research Hospital Dental Clinic is a full-service dental center located within the main hospital. The improved facilities will cater to the needs of St. Jude's patients, offering a variety of procedures often required prior to medical or surgical treatment in the hospital. Often, health complications prevent these patients from leaving the St. Jude campus, making this dental clinic an essential part of their care.

"It is important for children to have access to the dental care they need," said Dr. Phil Wenk, president and CEO of Delta Dental. "The new dental clinic will help to provide young people with the treatments necessary to prevent more serious health complications in the future."

For more information about Delta Dental of Tennessee, visit www.deltadentaltn.com.

About St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital is internationally recognized for its pioneering work in finding cures and saving children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases. St. Jude is the first and only pediatric cancer center to be designated as a Comprehensive Cancer Center by the National Cancer Institute. Founded by late entertainer Danny Thomas and based in Memphis, Tenn., St. Jude freely shares its discoveries with scientific and medical communities around the world. St. Jude is the only pediatric cancer research center where families never pay for treatment not covered by insurance. No child is ever denied treatment because of the family's inability to pay. St. Jude is financially supported by ALSAC, its fundraising organization. For more information, go to www.stjude.org and follow St. Jude on www.facebook.com/stjude and www.twitter.com/stjude.

About Delta Dental of Tennessee

Delta Dental of Tennessee, along with its affiliates in Indiana, Kentucky, Michigan, New Mexico, North Carolina, and Ohio, is among the largest dental plan administrators in the nation. Collectively, in 2010, the enterprise paid out more than $2 billion for dental care for nearly 8 million enrollees. In its latest customer survey, Delta Dental of Tennessee achieved 97.1 and 99.7 percent satisfaction from its members and groups respectively. Offices are located in Nashville, Knoxville and Memphis, Tenn.

SOURCE Delta Dental of Tennessee