Announcement of Community Grant Winners for the Illinois State Dental Society Foundation

Applications were evaluated according to the following guidelines:

• Congruence of the project to the mission of the ISDS Foundation
• Potential for, or history of, continuous program operations
• An increase in oral health awareness among those reached by the project
• Potential impact on a target community or audience
• Potential enhanced efficiency by which oral health services are delivered

After careful review, the grant review committee selected the following winners:

Aurora Christian HealthCare $9000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
Aurora Christian Healthcare is a faith-based, non-profit clinic, with about 62% of its services being dental. Aurora Christian Healthcare is 100% staffed by volunteers, with no paid staff. They are 100% funded by grants and private donations. Aurora Christian Healthcare is the only known free dental clinic in Aurora, IL. Research indicates that at least 11% of Aurora-area residents need dental insurance; many need more financial resources to pay for dental care out of pocket. Within the past year, they have provided these services to about 155 patients despite significant challenges such as flooding and forced relocation. They offer basic dental hygiene and treatment, such as fillings and extractions. They will provide additional services, such as splints (to treat bruxism) and partial plates.

Community Health Care Clinic $7500.00

Brief Statement of Need:
Since 1994, the Community Health Care Clinic has provided free, quality medical care to the low-income and uninsured residents of McLean County. Grants and donations fully fund them – they are not reimbursed for our services. In 2019, CHCC added a dental clinic to address the need for access to oral care for our patients, and since that time, they have seen approximately 75% of clinic patients. Many of their patients have had little to no dental care in their lifetime, have minimal knowledge about dental care, and do not speak English.  Because of their income, life circumstances, and lack of adequate coverage, most patients have gone years, sometimes decades, without access to dental care. They will use their funding to purchase 125 electric toothbrushes (@ $40 per) to assist in patient education and $5000 to fund the lab fees associated with creating dentures/partials, night guards, etc. 

Dental Lifeline Network-Illinois $3000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
Many Illinois residents desperately need but cannot access dental treatment. Due to age or disability, they cannot work, and the government programs they depend on for health care do not cover dental treatment. Medicare covers dental care in very select circumstances, and Illinois’ Medicaid program restricts adult dental benefits. Because of these reasons, the Donated Dental Services (DDS) program is crucial. By leveraging a network of dedicated volunteers, they provide comprehensive dental care to elderly, disabled, and medically fragile Illinois residents, breaking down barriers to oral health care. However, the rising costs of running the program and the new expenses associated with their recruiting efforts, highlighted in their recent strategic planning process, make sustaining this program increasingly challenging. This grant will help them manage rising costs, support their strategic recruitment efforts, and celebrate their national organization’s 50th anniversary by ensuring they continue to provide life-changing dental care to those in need.

Dr. Bret Jerger $1000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
Jerger Pediatric Dentistry has collaborated with the Teddy Bear Dental Fund since its inception in 1999. Without the effort of this program, many children would not have access to dental treatment. The program is truly a unique effort founded by members of the community. The purpose is to assist with the cost of extensive dental needs of children and special needs patients who could not otherwise have necessary dental work. The fund was established and has continued through donations and support from their community despite not having a benefit for several years. The fund will only be able to continue if there are funds available.

Some of their area dentists assist by donating their time and providing dental care at the cost of the supplies. This non-profit organization has no overhead expenses, thanks to Crossing Health Care. Teddy Bear pays 70% of the amount, and the family pays 30%. This allows the family to invest in the outcome and allows Teddy Bear to help as many patients as possible. Dr.Bret Jerger gives a 25% in kind on each patient. The children and special needs patients they help have a medical card, and no one takes it.

Effingham County $3500.00

Brief Statement of Need:
The Effingham County Health Department has recently expanded its services to offer public health dental hygienist clinics for adults with Medicaid or no insurance who live 300% below the federal poverty level. They do community outreach with education at local food pantries on their dental varnish services. They currently have funding to cover the public health dental hygienist’s time but would like funds to promote good oral hygiene at pantries, free laundry days, community events, etc. They plan to continue this project in the coming years but will be limited without proper funding.

This project will benefit adults with limited access to dental care. The county currently has one dentist who takes adult Medicaid patients. If you educate adults about oral health care, they will, in turn, educate their children or others who they care for on the importance of good oral health care.

Hult Center for Healthy Living $5000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
The 2022 Tri-County Community Health Needs Assessment shows that residents believe dental health is among the top ten most significant health issues in the local tri-county area (Partnership for a Healthy Community, 2022). This assessment also noted substantial social determinants of health as it relates to dental health, as it was determined that dental care tends to be lower for black people, Latino people, and Peoria County residents. This program aims to provide dental health education and resources to those at risk for poor dental health.

Midwest Refuah Health Center $3500.00

Brief Statement of Need:
Their community features a very high incidence of uninsured residents below the Federal Poverty Level who delay or too often avoid seeking dental care due to financial constraints, accessibility issues, and other socioeconomic conditions.

Their solution is to overcome these worries and concerns by creating and implementing a “Smile Profile” outreach campaign with three goals: 1) Increase awareness and promote the importance of oral health, especially among their vulnerable youth, adults, and seniors 2) provide informative oral health facts and educational tips and 3) Inform their residents that they can now confidently and easily access our affordable dental services through this “Smile Profile” screening/treatment program.

Sarah Bush Lincoln Dental Services $4000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
Sarah Bush Lincoln Dental Services provides free oral health care and education to low-income children aged 0-18 in a rural 10-county region of east central Illinois.  The program offers comprehensive care for eligible children via mobile and fixed-site services by working with local schools and health departments. They also provided dental clearance for adult patients of our hospital who had surgery or cancer treatments.  The monies available for adult patient referrals from clinic providers for emergency care were no longer available, and they had to end the voucher system. The vouchers came with a list of six partner dentists in our area. The dentists would offer emergency care and then bill the patients $500 for the services provided. 

Unfortunately, our emergency room has limited options for these patients, usually resorting to prescribing antibiotics and pain medication. In the past year alone, there have been 631 visits to the ER for dental issues. Among these, 596 visits were made by individuals aged 19 years or older, making them ineligible for our dental program. As a result, nearly 600 adults were left with no accessible emergency dental care, causing them to repeatedly visit the ER. While prescription drugs can temporarily alleviate pain and infection, proper care is necessary to prevent the infection from recurring. Despite the Sarah Bush Lincoln program experiencing an annual loss of $400,000, providing this service is essential for our community. A grant would greatly assist us in meeting the urgent needs of these adult patients.

Schuyler-industry School District #5 $1000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
There is no dental provider in Schuyler County; only one provider within 60 miles will accept Medicaid patients. This provider does not provide nitrous oxide, which all pediatric patients require. The referred pediatric dentists are in Chicago and Southern Illinois, which currently have a two-year wait list or are not accepting new patients. Therefore, with increased need and decreased service levels, we will (1) continue to see a gap in the treatment availability for low-income students in our district, and (2) see an ongoing progression of oral health concerns not being treated and, therefore, ongoing progression of a decline in subsequent health conditions.

While utilizing the free dental treatment clinics, like Give Kids A Smile in Quincy, we continue to have students who need further dental care and emergency dental care and those who can not be seen promptly. Therefore, they have prolonged dental pain as well as difficulty learning due to the pain, infection, etc. This grant would also help fulfill those urgencies and emergencies.

The first year’s objective of the SID5 Smiles program is to (1) provide financial assistance for professional treatment of advanced oral disease to ten low-income SID5 students ages 3-18 and (2) conduct preventative education with classroom education by a dental hygienist.

Dental treatments will be coordinated with local dental professionals (Dr. Canter, Dr. McEntee, and Dr. Hauk) and payment for treatment will be assisted through the grant. Volunteers (retired nurses, bus drivers, and parents) will help with transportation and emotional support for students as needed.

Swedish Hospital Foundation $5000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
Swedish Hospital’s Dental Clinic and Restoring Smiles Program was established in 2017 to help uninsured and low-income patients who came to the Emergency Department (ED) looking for dental relief. Before establishing the Swedish Hospital Dental Clinic, patients coming to the ED with painful dental conditions had nowhere to turn. While dental care is often regarded as a low priority in the medical care of these individuals, it is essential for regaining their self-worth. The absence of a smile is usually a severe side effect of dental trauma, neglect, or domestic violence. Swedish Hospital’s Pathways Program works to recognize and respond to domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault. Through Pathways, we identify survivors in dire need of dental care. We provide them with no-cost, comprehensive dental services to help alleviate pain, treat injuries, and improve oral health and quality of life. Pathways staff have also trained the dental clinic staff in trauma-informed care and handling of the sensitivity of these cases. The Swedish Dental Clinic serves approximately 3,200 patients annually.

Restoring Smiles provides free, life-changing dental services for low-income individuals with no access to services, patients who have experienced injuries requiring emergency dental care, and survivors of domestic violence, human trafficking, and sexual assault who have dental-related injuries and/or neglect. The Restoring Smiles program provides services to approximately 80 – 150 unduplicated patients each year, accommodating all patients we see within a week, depending on the severity of their dental needs.

Organization – The Ark $2500.00

Brief Statement of Need:
The Ark’s Dental Clinic provides complete dental care for more than 400 low-income, uninsured individuals annually at no cost. The Ark’s staff dentist, hygienist, and dental assistant provide treatment at the on-site clinic. The funding will help defray the costs of dental supplies and other dental appliances.

The Dental Clinic enhances the health of hundreds of low-income, uninsured patients by expanding their access to emergency and ongoing oral health care and providing personalized dental education. Our Dental Clinic patients range in age from 19 to 98; 83% of patients are aged 55 or older, and 37% are aged 70 or older. These patients are particularly vulnerable to serious health problems because of poverty, lack of insurance, lack of access to health care (especially dental care), and often, mental illness.

Organization – Well Child Center $5000.00

Brief Statement of Need:
A portion of the funds requested through the ISDSF grant will be utilized to purchase equipment (handpiece), supplies, and materials needed for the community- and school-based dental clinics. Funds will also support the CDHC’s time working at the clinics and coordinating follow-up care and treatment for children seen in the same facility. The remaining portion of the funds requested through the ISDSF grant will be utilized to purchase supplies and materials to raise educational awareness.