Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation Announce COVID-19 Oral Health Capacity Building Grants

Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation Announce COVID-19 Oral Health Capacity Building Grants

(Oak Brook, IL) – June 25, 2020 – Today, Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF) and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation (DDILF) announced a new grant program to invest up to $3,000,000 in total funding for community dental clinics to offset the additional costs associated with re-opening their children’s oral health programs and address the gaps associated with lost revenue as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“The coronavirus pandemic has and will continue to have a devastating impact upon the operations and financial strength of all safety net healthcare providers. The loss of revenue associated with the move from full-spectrum oral health services to primarily emergency care response is extensive and will have profound impacts,” offers Heather Higgins Alderman, ILCHF’s President. “Grant funding is available to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) and other public health clinics. Each of our foundations is providing $1.5 million toward this program to help offset COVID-19 driven costs associated with reopening these children’s oral health programs,” Alderman added.

“This grant opportunity is in direct response to the significant needs facing community health clinics throughout the state. According to the Illinois Primary Healthcare Association, these centers collectively serve more than 1.4 million children, families, and individuals annually in Illinois, adds Bob Egan, the Foundation’s Senior Program Officer for Oral Health. “FQHCs and other public health clinics are the largest provider of oral health services for children uninsured and enrolled in Medicaid. Today’s announcement, and our continued partnership with DDILF, is a great step forward in providing critical assistance to these children,” concludes Egan.

“We recognize the increased costs associated with implementing the required processes and protocols to ensure health and safety,” said Lora Vitek, executive director of Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of Illinois. “As the largest providers of oral health services for uninsured children and those enrolled in Medicaid, we are committed to supporting Federally Qualified Health Centers and public health clinics to ensure they can meet the substantial, and ever-increasing demand for vital health care services in Illinois.”

Complete responses to this Request for Proposals must be submitted by July 31, 2020, with requests of up to $100,000 being considered. These grants allow recipients the flexibility to allocate funds as needed in their communities as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Preference will be given to programs specifically connecting oral health care to primary care. More information on the COVID-19 Response Oral Health Capacity Building Grant Program can be found here.

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About Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation

The Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation (ILCHF) has a single vision: Every child in Illinois grows up healthy. Working through grantee partners across the state, the Foundation focuses its grant making on identifying and funding solutions to the barriers that prevent children from accessing the ongoing health care they need. For more information, go to www.ilchf.org.

About Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation

The Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation was formed in March 2008 by Delta Dental of Illinois, a not-for-profit dental service corporation with a mission to improve overall health and well-being. Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation is the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of Illinois. In the past decade, combined efforts of Delta Dental of Illinois and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation have provided more than $8 million to programs and organizations in Illinois that improve the oral health of the state’s residents. For additional information about Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, please see www.deltadentalil.com.

H3 (Healthy Minds, Healthy Communities, Health Chicago) is an investment in a new effort to create and test a model to bring integrated primary and behavioral health care services to children served in a west side clinic. Through 3 years (as of the end of 2016) 6266 children have been served.

Since 2007, IlCHF has funded Erie Family Health Services in their development of integrative projects and models around the city of Chicago (11 total, $2,738,126 total granted).