Free and Low Cost Dental Care Available to Underserved Through Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation Grants

PARSIPPANY, N.J., March 12, 2013 /PRNewswire/ -- Thousands of at-risk children, seniors, and developmentally disabled individuals will have access to dental care in 2013, as a result of $700,000 in grants awarded to 28 community programs in New Jersey and Connecticut by the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation. The Foundation is the charitable arm of Delta Dental of New Jersey.

A goal of the grants is to reduce the number of complex and urgent dental work resulting from the lack of preventive care, catching problems earlier to reduce complications later. The funds are designed to help the uninsured and underserved, specifically children whose families are at or below the federal poverty level, the developmentally disabled, and vulnerable seniors. Following is a recipient list by state and county.

New Jersey

Dental Lifeline Network: Provide free dental care to aged, disabled or medically-at-risk New Jersey residents who cannot afford or access treatment.

CAMDEN COUNTY

Cathedral Kitchen, Camden:  Provide free, critical dental care through its Project Smiles Dental Clinic for "soup kitchen" dinner guests.

CUMBERLAND/GLOUCESTER/SALEM COUNTIES

Tri-County Head Start Community Action Agency, T/A Gateway Community Action Partnership, Bridgeton: Fund Community Connections for Bright Smiles program, covering the cost of oral exams, preventive care, and education for low-income families.

ESSEX COUNTY

Boys & Girls Club of Newark, Newark: Provide support for the Children's Dental Center, a free dental clinic at the Central Ward Clubhouse.

East Orange Department of Health & Human Services, East Orange: Sustain ongoing dental education and services, specifically fluoride treatments and sealants, to uninsured school-age, low-income children.

Kids Corporation II, Newark: Provide free dental exams, education, and follow-up dental care to Newark students, as part of the Kids Camp Health Clinic.

KinderSmile Foundation, Upper Montclair: Work with Head Start programs in providing age-appropriate preventive care and a dental home.

Newark Beth Israel Medical Center, Newark: Provide oral care as part of pregnancy care to a patient base that rarely seeks dental services.

Youth Consultation Services, Newark: Provide dental care for mentally ill, developmentally disabled children in East Orange.

HUDSON COUNTY

Hudson County Dental Society, Union City: Provide free dental care to underserved children by volunteer dentists during Give Kids a Smile Day.

MIDDLESEX COUNTY

JFK Medical Center/Community Hospital Group, Edison: Improve quality of life for low-income seniors suffering from tooth decay who have gone without dental care for years.

MONMOUTH AND OCEAN COUNTIES

Jersey Shore University Medical Center Dental Clinic, Neptune: Remove dozens of seniors, primarily in Asbury Park and Neptune, from the new-appointment four-year waiting list and provide them with removable dentures at the only charity care dental clinic in the region.

MORRIS COUNTY

Morristown Medical Center, Dental Program for Persons with Developmental Disabilities, Morristown: Provide free dental care to pediatric, economically disadvantaged, and developmentally disabled populations at the Leonard Szerlip Dental Center.

Morristown Medical Center, Senior Smiles Program, Morristown: Fund the supplies and lab fees that allow comprehensive, no-cost dental services for the area's charity care geriatric patients.

Zufall Health Center, Dover: Support and expand Zufall's pediatric dental program for underserved children.

OCEAN COUNTY

Ocean Health Initiatives, Lakewood: Fund "pediatric friendly" dental clinics that ease procedures for primarily low-income children.

PASSAIC COUNTY

Clifton Health Department, Clifton: Provide free or low-cost dental services for low-income school-age children from underserved, underinsured families in Clifton and Little Falls.

Eva's Village, Paterson: Provide free dental care to the area's homeless, recovering addicts, uninsured, underinsured, and working poor, many of whom have not seen a dentist in 20 years.

Paterson Public Schools Dental Clinic, Paterson: Support dental care to allow uninsured schoolchildren in Paterson to receive free dental treatment.

SOMERSET COUNTY

Matheny Medical and Educational Center, Peapack: Provide specialized dental services and preventive care to children and adults with complex developmental disabilities.

UNION COUNTY

KinderSmile Foundation, Upper Montclair: See listing under Essex County.

Connecticut

FAIRFIELD COUNTY

Stratford Health Department, School-Based Dental Clinic, Stratford:

Support mobile dental clinic to expand dental care to low income, school-age children.

University of Bridgeport, Bridgeport: Provide funds for a pilot program, Portable Dental Hygiene Care for Special Needs Populations, to expand clinical services and educational programming provided by the University's Fones School of Dental Hygiene.

HARTFORD COUNTY

Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach, Southington: Purchase equipment, supplies, and training for the Connecticut Mission of Mercy program's free two-day dental clinic.

Tunxis Community College, Farmington: Provide funds for dental equipment to assist students in providing care to underserved children and adults.

NEW HAVEN COUNTY

Cornell-Scott Hill Health Corporation, New Haven: Enhance school-based dental center treatment for underserved low-income minority children in grades K-8.

Yale-New Haven Hospital, New Haven: Fund the hospital's satellite facility in Hamden, Conn., increasing access to oral care for those with special health care needs. The multiyear grant will award $500,000 over five years.

WINDHAM COUNTY

EASTCONN Head Start, Hampton: Provide preventive and restorative dental care for Head Start children via the Across the Smiles dental van and a pediatric dentist.

About Delta Dental

Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc. is New Jersey's leading dental benefits company, providing or administering coverage to more than 1.5 million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental system offers seamless dental benefits administration for employer groups throughout the country and has the largest network of dentists in the nation. For more information, visit www.deltadentalnj.com.

About the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation

Delta Dental established the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation in 1986. Its mission includes promoting and assisting educational projects devoted to the enhancement of dental health, providing research programs designed to increase public awareness of the general benefits of good oral health, and improving dental health through the science of dentistry. Each year, Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation provides financial support to various organizations throughout the state.

SOURCE Delta Dental of New Jersey Inc.