GLENDALE, Ariz. (June 21, 2021) – The Delta Dental Institute has released its 2020 Community Impact Report, highlighting the investments the Delta Dental companies and their foundations made in 2020 to advance oral health, respond to COVID-19, and address health inequities and disparities. Delta Dental of Arizona impacted the lives of 346,818 individuals in Arizona by investing $1,787,734 in 54 community impact programs. Nationwide, the Delta Dental companies together invested more than $102.5 million in communities in 2020, supporting over 2,400 programs, impacting 24.7 million lives, and volunteering 20,000 hours—more than ever before in Delta Dental’s 65-year history. In addition to their community impact engagement, Delta Dental companies across the country also committed $1.1 billion.
"As our country grappled with a pandemic, injustice, and lingering gaps in oral health care access and education, Delta Dental stood with our communities to meet their most pressing needs," said James W. Hutchison, president and CEO, Delta Dental Plans Association. "In a time of crisis and uncertainty, Delta Dental never wavered in its enduring commitment to achieve access and equity for all."
The report highlights three main areas of giving in 2020: advancing oral health, responding to COVID-19, and addressing health inequities and disparities.
"Community is everything to us at Delta Dental,” said Vivian Vasallo, executive director, Delta Dental Institute. “While the memories of 2020 will stay with us for years to come, so will the positive impact the Delta Dental companies had on millions of lives by keeping our promise to serve the oral and overall health of our communities.”
A sampling of the 54 organizations positively impacted by Delta Dental of Arizona and its Delta Dental of Arizona Foundation in 2020 includes:
“In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, in 2020 Delta Dental also made a $500,000 donation to Arizona’s 23 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) and provided more than 30,000 toothbrushes and tubes of toothpaste to homeless shelters across the state,” says Barb Kozuh, director of community benefit marketing, Delta Dental of Arizona.
The full report is available online at https://www.deltadental.com/institute/community-benefit/
About Delta Dental of Arizona
Delta Dental of Arizona is the leading dental benefits provider in Arizona, serving more than 1.2 million enrollees and more than 3,500 contracted dentists across the state. Passionate about oral health and its importance to generations of families, Delta Dental of Arizona has worked for nearly 50 years to improve oral health by emphasizing preventive care and making dental coverage accessible to a wide variety of employers, groups and individuals. Since 2010, Delta Dental of Arizona, through its Foundation, gave $12 million to support oral health education and disease prevention programs for underserved and uninsured communities across the state. For more information about Delta Dental of Arizona, visit www.deltadentalaz.com.
About Delta Dental Plans Association
Based in Oak Brook, Illinois, Delta Dental Plans Association is the not-for-profit national association of the 39 independent Delta Dental companies. Through these companies, Delta Dental is the nation's largest dental insurance provider, covering more than 80 million Americans and offering the country's largest dental network with approximately 153,000 participating dentists. Over the last decade, Delta Dental companies provided over $1.75 billion in direct and in-kind support to improve the oral health of our communities across the country. Visit deltadental.com for information on individual dental insurance plans and group dental insurance plans.
About the Delta Dental Institute
The Delta Dental Institute is dedicated to advancing oral health for all Americans in partnership with the Delta Dental companies and dedicated partners across the country. With expertise rooted in Delta Dental's rich history of oral health leadership, we engage in and support oral health research, community outreach, and advocacy, striving to ensure everyone understands the importance of oral health to overall health and has access to the care that they need.