According to its just released 2020 Community Impact Report, Delta Dental companies across the country also committed $1.1 billion in COVID-19 response relief in 2020.
Delta Dental announced that in 2020 it invested more than $102.5 million in communities, supporting over 2,400 programs, impacting 24.7 million lives, and volunteering 20,000 hours. That’s according to the 2020 Community Impact Report released by the Delta Dental Institute.
According to Delta Dental, this level of investment is a first in the company’s 65-year history. The investments were made by Delta Dental companies and their foundations in 2020 to advance oral health, respond to COVID-19, and address health inequities and disparities.
In addition to their community impact engagement, Delta Dental companies across the country also committed $1.1 billion in COVID-19 response relief.
“As our country grappled with a pandemic, injustice, and lingering gaps in oral healthcare access and education, Delta Dental stood with our communities to meet their most pressing needs,” said James W. Hutchison, president and chief executive officer, 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 2020 Community Impact Report, “Our Promise to Our Communities,” reportedly centers on Delta Dental’s mission to advance the oral and overall health of its communities. Last year, Delta Dental supported programs in all 50 states, Washington, DC, and Puerto Rico.
The report focuses on three main areas of giving in 2020: advancing oral health, responding to COVID-19, and addressing health inequities and disparities. Delta Dental companies served communities’ oral health by supporting direct dental treatment in underserved communities; water fluoridation initiatives; and oral health education. In addition, each company responded to COVID-19 by delivering loans to safety net dental clinics; enabling dental offices to acquire PPE; and supporting local safety nets like food banks. In response to racial injustice across the country, Delta Dental companies invested in organizations like the NAACP and the National Urban League; reaching underserved communities of color with oral health programs; and supporting scholarships and training for dental professionals of color.
