Providers Statewide Receive Grants to Improve Children’s Oral Health Care

18 Nov Providers Statewide Receive Grants to Improve Children’s Oral Health Care

Providers Statewide Receive Grants to Improve Children’s Oral Health Care
$7.3 million awarded statewide by Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation

Oak Brook, Ill. (Nov. 29, 2021) – Nearly forty healthcare organizations are among those statewide recently awarded grants through two programs that together provided $7.3 million this year to help improve the oral health of Illinois children. 

The Health Equity Grants and COVID-19 Capacity Renewal Grant programs are funded by the Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation. The programs aim to improve the oral health of children across the State through education and access to quality care. ILCHF recipients of $200,000 grants include:

• • Erie Family Health Foundation Inc., Chicago, for the Integrated Oral Health Expansion for Underserved Children on Chicago’s West Side project
  • Heartland Health Outreach, Chicago, for the School-Based Oral Health Equity project
  • Mercer County Health Department, Aledo, for the Mercer County Mobile Dental Program
  • Shawnee Health Service and Development Corporation, Carterville, for the Shawnee’s Decreasing Oral Health Disparities project

Heather Higgins Alderman, President of Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation said, “Our vision is for every child in Illinois to grow up healthy.  Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation is proud to partner with Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation in the important work of addressing health disparities across the state. This new funding increases the opportunity for children throughout the state have access to high-quality oral healthcare.”

“These programs make a difference in countless lives by helping Illinois children and families get the dental care they need,” said Lora Vitek, Executive Director of Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of Illinois. “Beyond improving access to care, these grants also provide education, which is key to setting the foundation for a lifetime of good health.” 

Bob Egan, Senior Program Officer of Illinois Children’s Healthcare Foundation, said the grants aim to break down barriers preventing children from accessing quality, comprehensive oral health services.   

Details about the two foundations’ Health Equity Grants and COVID-19 Renewal Grants are below:

Health Equity Grants: The two foundations awarded $3.8 million to 19 Illinois organizations through the new COVID-19 Utilization: Decreasing Oral Health Disparities Health Equity Grant Program to assist organizations working to improve the oral and overall health of children impacted by poverty and COVID-19. Each foundation contributed approximately $2 million for this initiative. Grants of up to $200,000 were awarded for use within two years. View a full list of ILCHF recipients below.

COVID-19 Renewal Grants: $3.5 million was awarded by the two foundations to 35 Illinois health centers and clinics that deliver vital health care services to children who may face obstacles to care. The grants, which were renewed in 2021 to organizations that received them in 2020, aim to offset costs associated with reopening and continuing operations  during the COVID-19 pandemic. ILCHF provided approximately $2.3 million of the funding for this initiative. Grants of up to $133,000 were available to Illinois public health dental clinics  that provide comprehensive oral health services to children. View a full list of ILCHF recipients below.

Health Equity Grants Recipients:

• Champaign-Urbana Public Health District, Champaign – Increasing Utilization of Quality, Comprehensive Oral Health Services in Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant Populations
• Community Health Partnership of Illinois, Chicago – IL Community Strategy to Increase Pediatric Utilization of Oral Health Services
• Erie Family Health Foundation Inc., Chicago – Integrated Oral Health Expansion for Underserved Children on Chicago’s West Side
• Heartland Health Outreach, Chicago – The School-Based Oral Health Equity Project
• Mercer County Health Department, Aledo – Mercer County Mobile Dental Program
• Mobile CARE Foundation, Chicago – Oral Health Access & Integration Project
• Shawnee Health Service and Development Corporation, Carterville – Shawnee’s Decreasing Oral Health Disparities
• University of Illinois, College of Dentistry, Chicago – Academic & Community Partnership in Value Based Model
• Well Child Center, Elgin – School-Aged Patient Utilization Project

COVID-19 Renewal Grants Recipients: 

• Asian Human Services Family Health Center Inc., Chicago – COVID-19 Oral Health Response Through Integrated Approach
• Central Counties Health Centers, Inc., Springfield – Rebuilding CCHC’s Dental Program
• Chicago Family Health Center, Inc., Chicago – CFHC Oral Health Program
• The Children’s Clinic sponsored by Oak Park River Forest Infant Welfare Society, Oak Park – General Operating Support for Oral Health Care Program for Low Income Children
• Community Health Partnership of Illinois, Chicago – COVID-19 Response Oral Health General Operating Capacity
• Crusaders Health Foundation DBA Crusader Community Health, Rockford – Ongoing COVID Response Through Protective Equipment
• DuPage County Health Department, Wheaton – DCHD COVID-19 and Oral Health Project Renewal
• Erie Family Health Foundation Inc., Chicago – Rebuilding oral healthcare for underserved children at Erie
• Greater Family Health, Hoffman Estates – Safeguarding Children’s Oral Health Care
• Hancock County Health Dept. Dental Center, Carthage – Surgically Clean Air
• Heartland International Health Center, Chicago – COVID-19 Response Pediatric Oral Health Capacity Building (Y2)
• Henderson County Rural Health Center Inc., Oquawka – COVID-19 Response Oral Health Renewal
• Infant Welfare Society of Chicago, Chicago – Providing a Dental Home with COVID-19 Protocols for Children in Low-Income Communities
• Lawndale Christian Health Center, Chicago – LCHC Dental Reopening Plan
• McLean County Health Department, Bloomington – Pandemic Loss Supplementation 2021-22
• Milestone Inc., Loves Park – Post COVID-19 Dental Clinic Air Purification Project Phase 2
• Mobile CARE Foundation, Chicago – Oral Health Clinic COVID-19 Recovery & Improvement Program
• Near North Health Service Corporation, Chicago – Near North Health Pediatric Dental Days
• SIHF Healthcare, Sauget – Dental Services for Children
• University of Illinois, Chicago – UIC Pediatric Dentistry Continued Response Needs to the COVID-19 Pandemic
• VNA Health Care, Aurora – General Operating Support for VNA Health Care Dental Program during COVID-19 Pandemic
• Well Child Center, Elgin – Pediatric Dental Clinic and First Tooth Visit Program

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 ilchf.org. To date, the Foundation has committed over $117 million to help achieve its vision. 

About Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation
The Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation was formed in March 2008 and is the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of Illinois. Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation works to support and improve the oral health of people in Illinois, with a specific focus on children. In the past decade, combined efforts of Delta Dental of Illinois and Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation have provided more than $15 million to programs and organizations in Illinois that improve the oral health of the state’s residents. For additional information, visit deltadentalil.com/ddilfoundation.

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