Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation Funds Minnesota Oral Health Coalition
Minneapolis, MN (PRWEB) July 17, 2013 -- Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation has awarded $300,000 to the Minnesota Oral Health Coalition (MOHC) to support the coalition’s infrastructure and activities over the next three years. MOHC is a membership-based organization dedicated to promoting sound public oral health programs and policies in Minnesota. It was established in partnership with the Minnesota Department of Health’s Oral Health Program and helped produce the state’s first-ever Oral Health Plan: Advancing Optimal Oral Health for All Minnesotans. MOHC has a 14 member Board of Directors, with 165 active community members from across the state and representing a variety of backgrounds and diverse organizations. Currently, MOHC relies upon the volunteer commitments of its board of directors, stakeholders and members.
“The Minnesota Oral Health Coalition is well positioned to make an impact on the Foundation’s priority of improving the oral health of Minnesotans,” said Ann Johnson, Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation Executive Director and MOHC board member. “In order to maximize the impact, the Coalition needs to transition from all volunteer leadership to having paid staff dedicated to supporting the coalition membership and activities.”
MOHC intends to improve oral health in Minnesota through advocacy, public awareness, education and leadership development. Activities of the grant will include hiring staff and helping implement the Minnesota Oral Health Plan, with an immediate focus on education and outreach about the benefits and potential cost savings of community water fluoridation.
“The Minnesota Oral Health Plan is ambitious and we have a great deal of work to do,” said Deb Jacobi, board president for MOHC. “At this important moment for oral health in Minnesota, we couldn’t be more grateful to Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation for their support.”
The Minnesota Oral Health Plan serves as a 5-year roadmap for future activities and includes four priority areas:
1) Public Health Infrastructure
2) Prevention and Education
3) Health Care Integration and Access to Oral Health Care
4) Surveillance
Using the framework of the State Oral Health Plan, working groups based on the seven goals of the plan have been launched that include participants from across the state and embody an approach for building strong community involvement and relationships. Coalition and membership information can be found at http://www.health.state.mn.us/oralhealth/partnerships.html
“A strong oral health coalition will bring stakeholders together to help Minnesota achieve its oral health goals,” said Merry Jo Thoele, dental director of the Minnesota Department of Health's Oral Health Program. “This grant from Delta Dental will be foundational in its impact and will enable the coalition to achieve its full potential to improve oral health in Minnesota.”
About Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation – Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation is designed to support Delta Dental of Minnesota's mission of improving the oral health of the people in Minnesota. The Foundation will focus on improving access to oral health for people living in Minnesota, with special attention to increasing access among underserved persons, groups and communities as well as ideas and programs that provide innovative, long-term, sustainable solutions.
Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation was formed out of the proceeds of the 2009 sale of the dental benefit management company, DeCare Dental. Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation had assets of approximately $92 million and granted about $2 million in 2012.
Delta Dental of Minnesota Foundation is based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Delta Dental is a registered mark of Delta Dental Plans Association. Delta Dental of Minnesota is an independent nonprofit dental services company and is an authorized licensee of the Delta Dental Plans Association of Oak Brook, Illinois. For more information, visit http://www.deltadentalmn.org
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Sharon Oswald, Delta Dental of Minnesota, http://www.deltadentalmn.org, 612-224-3203, [email protected]
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