Cheshire Nonprofit Awarded $100K Grant From Delta Dental

CHESHIRE, CT — Community Health Center Association of Connecticut in Cheshire has been awarded $100,000 in a grant from the Delta Dental Foundation, officials announced Thursday.

The Delta Dental Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut, has announced that six organizations in New Haven County will receive $231,400 in grants.

The funds, part of a $921,383 contribution statewide benefiting almost 6,800 individuals and families, seek to improve the oral care of uninsured and underinsured population, and support workforce development programs assisting students entering dental careers, according to a news release.

Read more from the news release below:

The funding will provide support throughout New Haven County, as well as the state of Connecticut, through a range of SMILE and SMILE Workforce grants to help maintain the dental health of seniors, developmentally disabled adults and children, disadvantaged children, and veterans.

This year, a special series of Workforce grants were funded to renew or start programs addressing the dental workforce pipeline, specifically relating to dental assistants, which has experienced a severe shortage during recent years.

“Our Foundation focuses on supporting programs that address oral health care challenges, which help improve access to dental care and education for Connecticut residents,” said Dennis G. Wilson, president and CEO of Delta Dental of New Jersey and Connecticut and vice president of the Delta Dental Foundation. “A healthy smile is invaluable to our overall health, our self-esteem, and our relationships. We remain committed to our communities and our belief that everyone deserves a healthy smile.”

New Haven County recipients include:

• Community Health Center Association of Connecticut in Cheshire received $100,000 to support a needs assessment of community health centers relating to dental assistant vacancies and growth opportunities for Dental Assisting and to promote dental careers at high schools.
• Yale New Haven Hospital of New Haven was provided $10,000 to support dentures and partials for veterans above and beyond the free care program at Yale New Haven Hospital.
• New England Teaching Institute in North Haven was allocated $76,400 to support the post-secondary career school in expanding its dental assisting program to more students; helping to address the workforce shortage issue in Connecticut.
• Connecticut Foundation for Dental Outreach in Waterbury was awarded $25,000 to support the MOM event at Wilby High School this November, supporting dental supplies, medications, anesthetics, equipment, partials and dentures, data collection, and other event support.
• Special Olympics in Hamden received $10,000 to support Special Smiles dental screenings, follow-up care, and dental education for athletes; and dental student training on how to treat people with IDD.
• University of New Haven in West Haven, was granted $10,000 for the schools’ dental hygiene scholarship fund.