The Northeast Colorado Health Department will be able to provide services to promote oral health, thanks to a recent grant award.
Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation named the Northeast Colorado Health Foundation as one of 29 Colorado nonprofits to receive funding aimed at advancing oral health equity in communities across the state.
“Social determinants — such as race and ethnicity, income, geography and age — impact Coloradans’ oral health and their ability to access regular dental care,” the grant announcement states. “The DDCOF grantees were selected because they serve populations that have been historically overlooked and experience significant oral health disparities. They also demonstrated proven or innovative solutions to overcome barriers to accessing oral health care or preventing tooth decay, two of the foundation’s strategic focus areas.”
The grant awards will provide $3.4 million in funding over three years to the recipient organizations. Of the 29 grantees, 11 are located in rural areas and four provide services statewide.
The grant announcement states that the Northeast Colorado Health Foundation grant will support the rural health department “to provide school-based oral health services, oral health education for pregnant women and integrate oral health resources into birthing classes for pregnant women and other public programs such as SNAP and WIC.”
“Our inaugural open funding created an opportunity for organizations to share what they needed to improve health in their communities. The 62 applications submitted revealed a significant need for dedicated oral health funding statewide,” said Allison Cusick, executive director of Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation. “According to the Colorado Health Institute, just 63 percent of low-income Coloradans report good physical and oral health. Thousands of Coloradans live in dental health professional shortage areas. Disparities like these result in oral health inequities. By funding innovative projects designed to improve community oral health, we will better understand what Coloradans need to be healthy and help achieve the foundation’s mission of advancing oral health equity.”
