The
Hampton Roads Community Foundation and United Way of South Hampton Roads have
teamed up to improve dental care and access for low-income residents of the South
Hampton Roads region of Virginia
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| Dental care is a critical need in Hampton Roads. |
The
two regional funders have issued a joint request for proposal from area nonprofits
to help economically disadvantaged individuals have free dental treatment and
preventive care. May 20 is the deadline for nonprofit organizations, including
coalitions, to apply for a total of $50,000 in grant funding.
“This
is the first time the community foundation and the United Way have joined
forces with a single proposal request,” says Dr. Deborah M. DiCroce, president
and CEO of the Hampton Roads Community Foundation. “We are leveraging the
strengths of two long-standing organizations and modeling the power of
collaboration to improve life for area individuals with tremendous dental needs
and no resources to address them.”
The
community foundation and United Way focused on dental issues as a critical need
they could effectively address together. Statistics show that 197,949 Hampton
Roads adults have not visited a dentist in the past two years, and 55,000 area
youth have not seen a dentist in at least a year. Approximately the same number
of youth already have cavities in their teeth.
The
American Dental Association reports that record numbers of Americans go to
emergency rooms for dental treatment, which can cost up to 10 times more than
preventative care. Neglecting dental care can lead to a lifetime of health
problems and make it difficult for individuals to eat, speak, get jobs and feel
good about themselves.
“Many
of us have never known what it is like to live with constant dental pain and to
be embarrassed by not having teeth,” says Carol McCormack, United Way of South
Hampton Roads president and CEO. She has
seen clients at dental clinics come because “they couldn’t have the heart
surgery or kidney transplants they needed until their dental problems were
fixed.”
The dental
RFP grant guidelines and application are posted to www.hamptonroadscf.org. Both the
United Way and Hampton Roads are funding grants and will review applications. Both
organizations have separately funded dental needs in the region previously.
“We
are thrilled to work with the community foundation as partners tackling one of
our community’s most significant needs,” McCormack says.
The
Hampton Roads Community Foundation is the largest grant and scholarship
provider in southeastern Virginia and supports causes ranging from arts and
education to health and human services. The United Way is the largest private
funder dedicated solely to human service needs in South Hampton Roads.
