Grant Recipients

Access to Care Grant Recipients

• Actions for Children and Teens for Oral Health in Need, whose mission is to reduce disparities in pediatric oral health care by providing sustainable, low-cost dental services to children and adolescents, was awarded over $600. Their grant money will be used to provide consistent, high-quality oral health care to children from underserved communities in the Cambridge Health Alliance (CHA) system.
  
• Dental Lifeline Network (DLN)—Donated Dental Services (DDS) Massachusetts, which has, since 2005, offered underserved patients in Massachusetts access to pro bono dental care, received a $7,500 grant. This funding will help provide oral health care to 30 individuals with disabilities, those with fragile medical conditions, and the elderly.
  
• Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene, whose goal is to enhance the health and well-being of young and vulnerable members of the community, was granted $2,000. The funding will be used to maintain the ongoing Healthy Smile program at the Rainbow Child Development Center in Worcester, MA.
  
• Visiting Dental Hygiene, which brings compassionate, comfortable preventive dental care to those with limited access to care, received a $10,000 grant. The grant will help fund a mobile dental hygiene program for those who face persistent barriers to care, such as older adults, individuals in recovery, people experiencing homelessness, DCF-involved youth, and teen parents living in group homes.

Access to Care Grant Recipients

• Boston Healthcare for the Homeless (BHCHP), whose mission is to ensure unconditionally equitable and dignified access to the highest-quality health care for all individuals and families experiencing homelessness in the community, was awarded $12,500 to help expand its reach.

• Cambridge Public Health Department (CPHD), a provider of accessible and preventative oral health care to underserved teens and young adults in Cambridge, MA, received a $7,000 grant. This funding will be used to provide regular dental screenings, oral health education, and resources for students in the Cambridge Teen Health Center over the school year. 

• Dental Lifeline Network (DLN)—Donated Dental Services (DDS) Massachusetts, which has offered underserved patients in Massachusetts access to pro bono dental care since 2005, received a $15,000 grant. This funding will provide oral health care for 30 individuals with disabilities, fragile medical conditions, and the elderly. 

• Hillcrest Dental Care received a $15,000 grant to help fund a mobile dental clinic in the Berkshire region. For more than 40 years, Hillcrest has provided oral healthcare to high-need patients in the greater Berkshires, serving over 15,000 patients annually.

• NeighborHealth Corporation, which promotes and sustains healthy communities and families by providing comprehensive and primary preventative services, received a $5,500+ grant. The grant will be used to continue providing oral healthcare to students through a school-based health center at East Boston High School.

• Smiles for Success Foundation was awarded a $10,000 grant to help the organization expand their reach within Massachusetts. For 30 years, Smiles for Success has provided free dental care to women transitioning from job readiness or workforce reentry programs into employment.

• Tufts University Cares for Veterans Program aims to improve access to oral health care for veterans in Massachusetts with housing insecurity and educate providers on their role working in community-based settings. The Cares for Veterans Program, formerly known as Service with a Smile, received a $15,000 grant to expand its programming to reach more veterans with oral health education, oral health/cancer screenings, and connect them to dental homes for long-term care.

• Volunteers in Medicine (ViM) Berkshires disrupts systematic barriers to health equity and provides free care to those in the region who are ineligible for health insurance and are income qualified. ViM Berkshires was awarded a $25,000 grant to help fund the opening of a second clinic in Pittsfield, MA, which will include dental and general health services.

Access to Care Grant Recipients

• Community Health Connections, whose mission is to provide high-quality, affordable health care in the community, was awarded $12,155 to help fund the purchase of dental equipment for its community health center in Leominster, MA.

• Dental Lifeline Network—Donated Dental Services (DDS) Massachusetts, which has provided underserved patients in Massachusetts with access to pro bono dental care since 2005, received a $24,000 grant. This funding will provide oral health care to 40 individuals with disabilities, those with fragile medical conditions, and the elderly. It will also be used to expand the network of volunteer dentists in the state.

• The Forsyth Institute—ForsythKids Program provides oral health care to disadvantaged children. They received a $10,000 grant to increase the number of students served, promote improved oral health among these at-risk children, and continue developing a cost-effective model for distributing services.

• Harvard University American Student Dental Association Community Involvement (ASDA CI) connects with dentally underserved Massachusetts communities to address oral health disparities. ASDA CI received a $ 7,000 grant to help the group purchase supplies for its two student-run outreach dental clinics.

• Tufts University Autism Smiles Program offers children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) an anxiety-free dental visit experience while promoting good oral hygiene and increasing access to care. Autism Smiles received a $10,000 grant to help them continue their programming and develop an interactive app aimed at creating a pillar of support for children with ASD.

• The Tufts University Cares for Veterans Program aims to improve access to oral health care for veterans in Massachusetts experiencing housing insecurity and to educate providers on their roles in community-based settings. The Cares for Veterans Program, formerly known as Service with a Smile, received a $15,000 grant to expand its programming to reach more veterans with oral health education, oral health/cancer screenings, and connect them to dental homes for long-term care.

• Volunteers in Medicine (ViM) Berkshires disrupts systematic barriers to health equity and provides free care to those in the region who are ineligible for health insurance and are income-qualified. ViM Berkshires was awarded a $25,000 grant to help fund the opening of a second clinic in Pittsfield, MA, which will include dental and general health services.

Access to Care Grants

• Action for Children and Teens in Oral Health Need (ACTION) received a $15,000 Access to Care grant from the MDS Foundation to help fund a low-cost clinic that provides preventive, diagnostic, and restorative oral health care to children and teens in Greater Boston and Cambridge. The program strives to correct disparities in access to pediatric oral health care by offering a sustainable, low-cost clinic.

• Dental Life Network—Massachusetts Donated Dental Services Program (DDS) was awarded a $12,500 Access to Care grant to meet the oral health needs of 40 individuals with disabilities, those with fragile medical conditions, and the elderly across the State. DDS works with local dental professionals to provide care and improve the oral health of Massachusetts residents, with no other way to receive care. See the semi-annual report on their impact.

• The Holyoke Health Center’s (HHC) MDS Foundation Access to Care grant of $12,350 will be used to expand the Center’s oral health program, closing the gap in needs for children 0-18 in the Holyoke area. The mission of HHC is to improve patients’ health through affordable, high-quality health care and comprehensive community-based programming, creating a healthy community.

• Volunteers in Medicine Berkshires (VIM) was awarded $25,000 from an MDS Foundation Access to Care grant to continue building a pipeline of hygiene and dental student volunteers who donate dental care to uninsured or underinsured patients in the Berkshires. VIM’s mission is to provide access to free, comprehensive care for income-qualified adults in the region who are uninsured or under-insured.