WDA Foundation: Awards $56,500 to 20 dental health programs

Additional $10,000 will support Wisconsin’s first Mission of Mercy

CONTACT: Carol S. Weber, APR, Director of Public Relations

PHONE: 414-755-4108 (direct)

E-MAIL: cweber@wda.org

WEST ALLIS, WIS., April 13, 2009 – The Wisconsin Dental Association Foundation’s 2009 grants total $56,500 and help support 20 programs that bring oral health care to low-income Wisconsin residents and provide other dentistry-related services.

An award of $5,000 has been made to the AIDS Resource Center of Wisconsin to be used for patient laboratory costs. Located in downtown Milwaukee, the ARCW is dedicated to serving patients with HIV/AIDS regardless of an individual’s economic status or ability to pay.

The Brown County Oral Health Partnership will use its $3,000 grant to purchase needed dental equipment, instruments, supplies and restorative materials. The organization was established in 2007 to provide school-based care for low-income children and daytime care for adults with developmental disabilities.

A $1,400 grant to the Good Neighbor Clinic of Sauk Prairie will go toward basic dental supplies. This clinic serves people of all ages with annual incomes within 200 percent of federal poverty level guidelines, including those without insurance and who don’t qualify for government medical assistance programs.

HealthNet of Janesville Inc. serves low-income and uninsured residents of Rock County. The dental clinic, which is staffed by volunteer dentists, opened in July 2007. It will use its $3,000 in WDA Foundation funding to purchase basic supplies and help equip an additional dental exam and treatment room.

In its 10th year, Healthy Smiles for Portage County “Seal-A-Smile” targets some 875 area second graders. The $2,000 grant will go toward the purchase of sealant supplies, toothbrushes and educational brochures and help cover program travel costs.

Healthy Smiles for Wood County will use its $2,000 in funding to purchase dental supplies and education materials to enhance the program. The program’s primary focus is on prevention of dental cavities through outreach, education and sealant and fluoride varnish placement.

A $2,000 grant was given to the InHealth Community Wellness Clinic to help purchase a portable dental unit and supplies, educational materials and toothbrushes. The clinic assists children in Grant and Crawford counties with obtaining needed dental care and monitors their progress to improve their overall health.

The Jefferson County Community Dental Clinic will use its $4,000 grant to help cover operating expenses and necessary supplies. The clinic is staffed by volunteer dentists and provides dental care to low-income residents, 60 percent of whom are children.

Since 2001, Eau Claire Sealants Today for Smiles Tomorrow has been providing dental sealants for second graders in need and establishing dental homes for students who have no insurance or participate in the Medicaid or BadgerCare programs. It will use its $1,500 in funding for dental and educational supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste.

Madre Angela Dental Clinic’s $5,000 grant will buy new equipment for the outreach facility on Milwaukee’s south side. The largely-volunteer clinic has provided more than $6.8 million in free dental services to poor children and adults from Milwaukee, Ozaukee, Racine and Waukesha counties since February 2000.

Meriter Foundation’s “Seal Dane” Program is another repeat grant recipient. It will receive $2,500 to help provide emergency dental care to uninsured, low-income Dane County school children.

Since 2002, Door County’s Open Door Dental Clinic has been a dental home for many of the area’s low-income residents. It will use its $2,000 in funding to purchase new equipment.

The Rawhide Boys Ranch, a non-profit residential care center in New London, Wis. dedicated to changing the lives of troubled teen boys, will use its $1,300 award to purchase dental floss, toothbrushes and holders, mouthwash and toothpaste for each boy the organization serves.

A foundation gift of $2,000 will help the Shawano County Oral Health Workgroup with staffing, equipment and supply expenses. The group works with volunteer dentists and their staffs to provide dental screenings, sealants and education to 440 second graders in the county’s public and private schools.

Fowler Memorial Free Dental Clinic in Monroe opened its doors April 3, 2009 to treat 3 to 12-year-old children living in Green County on a referral basis. The volunteer-based clinic will use its $2,000 gift toward supplies and dental equipment repair.

Tri-County Community Dental Clinic provides care to underserved residents of Calumet, Outagamie and Winnebago counties and is receiving $6,000 to help cover general operating costs. Volunteer dentists, hygienists and assistants have helped TCCDC provide more than $6.8 million in much-needed dental care to low-income area children and adults since opening in 2003.

Another gift of $6,000 will go toward preventive dental care and education to children being seen at the Waukesha County Community Dental Clinic, which opened in May 2008 to provide and advocate for quality oral health services and education for children and adults in need.

Several WDA programs are also benefiting from the foundation’s generosity. American Dental Association and WDA educational materials, at a cost of $1,500, will be made available to first-year Marquette University School of Dentistry students at orientation. Another $3,500 will go to the Dentists Concerned for Dentists program that helps dental professionals deal with personal well-being issues through education and referral services.

A foundation gift of $800 will help purchase supplies for the 22nd annual WDA Smile Contest. This fun, family-oriented event will be held Aug. 7 at the 2009 Wisconsin State Fair and will help build public awareness of the value of good personal oral hygiene habits.

In addition to the above grants, the WDA Foundation has set aside $10,000 to support the first Mission of Mercy program in Wisconsin, which the WDA and foundation are co-hosting in late June in La Crosse, Wis. This program is expected to provide dental care to 1,200 adults and children over a two-day period.

In just the last six years alone, 2003 through 2008, the WDA Foundation has awarded $294,500 in the form of 84 oral health program grants and 102 scholarships to dental and dental hygiene students statewide.

The deadline to apply for a 2010 grant is Aug. 31, 2009. Visit WDA.org or contact foundation Executive Director Vicki Bohman at 414-755-4198 or vbohman@wda.org for more information.

Dentists currently donate some 99 percent of foundation funds, but public contributions are also welcome. Donations and memorials may be mailed to: WDA Foundation, 6737 W. Washington St., Suite 2360, West Allis, WI 53214.

The WDA Foundation was created as the charitable arm of the Wisconsin Dental Association in 1957. A qualified, tax-exempt corporation, the foundation provides scholarships to dental and dental hygiene students attending accredited schools in Wisconsin. It also gives financial support to projects providing dental care to the underserved and other dental-related philanthropic endeavors. The foundation also administers the Donated Dental Services program.

Established in 1870, the WDA is headquartered in West Allis. With more than 2,900 members statewide, it represents the vast majority of practicing dentists in Wisconsin. Members are committed to promoting professional excellence and quality oral health care. For more information on the WDA or the WDA Foundation, call 414-276-4520 or visit http://www.wda.org.