COSTA MESA, California--CareCredit, a patient payment program, has continued its support as a founding donor of the American Dental Association Foundation's Give Kids a Smile fund with a third consecutive annual $100,000 donation.
The donation was made at a recent GKAS national advisory board meeting.
CareCredit's contribution supports the GKAS Fund, an initiative that stems from the success of the annual GKAS one-day event. The fund provides grants to help dental practices and clinics expand access to care for children beyond the single-day event.
The American Dental Association's GKAS program aims to achieve two objectives: first, to enable dental teams to provide free dental care, screening, and education to underserved children; and second, to raise public awareness that the children of this country deserve a better healthcare system that addresses their dental needs.
In 2008, with the help of CareCredit's contribution, six grants were awarded. Three of the recipients, practices in Philadelphia, Pa., St. Louis, Mo., and Brownsville, Texas,are using the grants to fund outreach and educational programs.
The other three grants were given to local dental societies in Pennsylvania, Toledo, and central Arizona to expand outreach to children who live in more rural areas and to focus on providing dental care to children with special needs.
"When CareCredit became a founding member, our goal was to make Give Kids a Smile more than just a single day of care by increasing children's access to treatment throughout the year," stated Cindy Hearn, board member and senior vice president of marketing at CareCredit. "It's exciting to see the commitment of the six grant recipients and how much they are doing for the children in their communities," Hearn added.
"CareCredit's generous contributions since 2007 to the Give Kids a Smile Fund has helped us expand our grant program, and through collaboration and awareness, we can truly make a difference for those children with little to no access to care," stated Barkley Payne, executive director, ADA Foundation.
For more information on CareCredit, call (800) 300-3046, ext. 4519 or visit CareCredit.
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