$5 million will go towards quality oral care for seniors
At a ceremony held on Wednesday, May 22 at Delta Health Center in Mound Bayou, the California-based Delta Dental Community Care Foundation (DDCCF) presented a check in the amount of $5 million in order to improve access to quality and affordable oral health care to underserved seniors in the area.
Four statewide organizations — the host of the event, Delta Health Center, along with Delta Health System in Greenville, the Mississippi State Office of Oral Health and Bolivar County Council on Aging, Inc. — will share in this new grant which will expand its multi-year senior oral health partnership program to the residents in the Delta which had already been in place.
Officials from all recipient groups were on hand for the outdoor ceremony which also included a remote congratulatory address to attendees by Congressman Bennie Thompson via video.
“Less than 10% of adults in Mississippi Delta counties report that they have seen a dentist in the past 12 months, which is considerably less that then 64% nationally,” said Robin Boyles, Chief Program Planning and Development Officer at Delta Health Center. “Here, we unfortunately see high rates of dental disease among our senior population. These issues impact and affect their health, nutrition, mental health and socialization. We’re very excited about this new partnership, which will help us better serve the seniors in our communities and are grateful to the (DDCCFF) for their generous support.”
Brian Sherman, Executive Vice President and Chief People Officer with Delta Dental, started the ceremony with opening remarks followed by comments by his associate at Delta Dental, Kenzie Ferguson, Vice President, Community Care Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility for the organization, John A. Fairman, CEO of Delta Health Center as well as remarks from Kiyo Holmes, Chief Nursing Office with Delta Health System and comments from a representative from the MS State Department of Oral Health and Bolivar County Council on Aging.
Commissioner Willie Simmons also spoke on the importance of working to get seniors the needed transportation in place in order for seniors in the Delta to be able to take advantage of proper dental care.
All of those who spoke noted that the need for proper and accessible oral health care is especially urgent in the Delta, with 55% of seniors in the region experiencing tooth loss and 25% of older adults missing teeth. The new partnership plans to expand clinical capacity in the region, provide comprehensive mobile services and transportation and implement education and policy advocacy for improved oral health outcomes among rural seniors in the Delta.
“This partnership helps us better understand the unique needs or rural communities,” said Ferguson, with DDCCF. “In places like Bolivar County and the entire Mississippi Delta, the dentist often serves as the main provider of preventive care. By expanding access and investing in community-led solutions, we’re addressing gaps and reimagining how oral health care can drive overall health care in rural areas.”
The DDCCF is the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of California and its affiliated companies. Since 2011, the Foundation has awarded more than $170 million in funding and support to increase access to quality dental care, oral health education and the advancement of scientific research across the company’s 15-state service area and the District of Columbia.
At the closing of the ceremony, Fairman gave a brief history of the Delta Health Center, founded in 1965 as one of the first Federally Qualified Health Centers, stressing the significance of the facility when it began during the Civil Rights era.
After the official check presentation, guests and attendees were treated to a lunch reception and then given the option of touring the historic Delta Health Center and also an optional regional transit tour of the town of Mound Bayou hosted by the Bolivar County Council on Aging and former Mound Bayou mayor and town historian, Rev. Darryl Johnson.