Stay up to date with the latest happenings from the Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation
Smile Report
Welcome to our Q4 newsletter! You’re receiving this email because we’ve sent you information in the past, or you reached out and asked to be added to our mailing list. We’re glad you’re here, and we’re excited to share our updates and stories with you!
Save the date
December
12-13
Grant Winners Announcement
Applicants of the 2023 Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation grant cycle will be notified of the status of their grant applications.
February
1
Children’s Oral Health Month
February is Children’s Oral Health Month. Visit our website to access free oral health resources for grades K-5.
Foundation News
From left to right: Lisa Hickman, RDH, Stephanie Walker, CDA, Misty Ladd, Director of Operations, Dr. Albert Schulz, DDS, Augusta Regional Dental Clinic.
A Partnership for Inclusive Dentistry
We are thrilled to share an exciting initiative that focuses on reshaping oral health care accessibility in Virginia. Delta Dental of Virginia Foundation and the Virginia Department of Health have joined forces to empower safety net clinics to better meet the oral health care needs of individuals with disabilities. Visit our blog to read about the Centers for Inclusive Dentistry certification program, meet the clinic teams that are already on their way to completing the program and learn how your safety net clinic can get involved.
Partner Highlights
Happy Anniversary to the Virginia Association of Free and Charitable Clinics (VAFCC), for thirty years of supporting the network of volunteer and paid professionals that make up the 67 member organizations serving the Commonwealth. Collectively, these organizations help to ensure that the medically underserved have a place to receive comprehensive medical services, including dental services.
During their recent annual conference, VAFCC bestowed their Champions of Health Care Awards and two of our current partners were selected as winners:
Misty Ladd
Misty Ladd CDA, the Director of Operations at Augusta Regional Dental Clinic (ARDC), received the Administrative Champion Award. Misty’s passion for the mission, exuberant personality and her amazing organizational skills help her run the office, organize fund raising events and train newcomers to the clinic as well as fill in when staff or volunteers are unable to work in the dental clinic. This year she has also played an important role in making ARDC a Center for Inclusive Dentistry.
Janine Underwood
Janine Underwood, the Executive Director of Bradley Free Clinic, received the Leadership Champion Award for her decade of service that has profoundly affected the Roanoke Valley community. Janine never misses an opportunity to step up when help is needed both inside and outside the four walls of her clinic. Most notably she helped to start the HOPE Initiative, which focuses on connecting people who are struggling with addiction to treatment through the use of Peer Recovery Specialists. Recently Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Foundation provided a grant to expand this program to six other clinics.
Janine and Misty strive to go above and beyond to help their communities and the awards are well deserved! Congratulations!
Foundation in Action
Delta Dental of Virginia team members L - R (back row): Catherine Tice, Rochelle Palazzola, Brandi Boksa, Diana Edmonds and Andrea Jones. Front row: Karen Basham, Tracy Norton, and a FSWVA volunteer.
Delta Dental of Virginia team members are always looking for ways to give back. Our operations supervisors recently worked together to organize extra volunteer opportunities for their teams at Feeding Southwest Virginia during October and November. Their efforts and encouragement resulted in 29 Delta Dental of Virginia team members volunteering to help Virginia residents facing hunger. Three groups went together with their teams to disinfect donated boxes, sort and bag apples donated by a local orchard, and pack food items in boxes for local families. One of our supervisors said that she “had such a great time that I told my in-laws about it and now we’re looking at a day to go back and volunteer together."
We love that our team members are enthusiastic about using their Volunteer Time Off (VTO) to give back to their communities. If you’re interested in volunteering at Feeding Southwest Virginia, be sure to visit the volunteering page on their website.
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