Delta Dental Health, Education and Research Fund pledges $25,000 to help National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped

    June 18, 2002
    Foundation helps Californians in need.

    California's largest dental plan announced today its pledge of
    $25,000 to the California Donated Dental Services program to assist approximately 150 disabled Californians in urgent need of dental care. Delta Dental Plan of California's chief dental executive, Marilynn Belek, DMD, said Delta's Health, Education and Research Fund is enthusiastically supporting the program, which coordinates care to the disabled with help from local volunteer dentists and dental laboratories who provide their services free of charge.

    California Donated Dental Services is a statewide program that
    operates under the auspices of the National Foundation of Dentistry for the Handicapped (NFDH), in conjunction with the California Dental Association. The program also operates with support and sponsorship from several local dental societies such as the Los Angeles Dental Society, the Western Los Angeles Dental Society, the Harbor Dental Society and the San Francisco Dental Society.

    Last year, California Donated Dental Services provided nearly
    $400,000 in donated services to disabled Californians, through the
    services of about 600 dentists and 196 laboratories.

    "Delta's contribution should help this worthwhile organization
    significantly increase the number of disabled Californians it serves
    this year," said Dr. Belek. "We are especially pleased to support an organization that nurtures and facilitates the spirit of volunteerism within the dental profession. Many of the volunteers are dentists with whom we also partner under our commercial and government-sponsored dental benefit programs."

    The Denver, Colo.-based National Foundation of the Dentistry for
    the Handicapped is a charitable affiliate of the American Dental
    Association and was founded in 1986. Since that time, the organization has helped funnel nearly $35 million in donated dental services to approximately 30,000 disabled and elderly people in 26 states.