Delta Denal for uninsured

OAK BROOK, Illinois--Thousands of Americans who are either uninsured or underinsured will get dental care as part of a donation from Delta Dental.

Kim Volk, president and CEO of Delta Dental Plans Association has presented a check for $162,000 to the America’s Dentists Care Foundation--the umbrella organization for America’s Mission of Mercy events--for the purchase of portable dental equipment.

“This donation from Delta Dental companies will mean that we are able to purchase the equipment needed to continue providing free dental care to the underserved,” said Bruce Bergstrom, executive director of the ADCF.

Added Volk: “This donation helps fulfill Delta Dental’s core mission, which is to improve the oral health of all Americans."

A “Mission of Mercy” is a two-day dental clinic held in a large venue--such as an arena or a convention center-- that is supported by several hundred volunteer dental professionals, staff, and laypeople who provide free oral health care on a first-come, first-served basis.

Long in the tooth does not mean you have to be short on oral health

The first Mission of Mercy event took place in Virginia in 2000, and the events are projected to expand to 22 states in 2012. Since 2000, volunteers have provided dental care to more than 100,000 people at a value of more than $50 million.

Volk presented the check along with David Haynes, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Missouri, and John Gladden, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Oklahoma. The presentation took part during the Missouri Mission of Mercy in Springfield, Mo., a project of the Missouri Dental Association.

For more information, go to www.adcfmom.org.

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