Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation awards $1 million grant to Advocate Health Care Charitable Foundation

Posted on December 29, 2021 in Corporate Social Responsibility

Funding for new dental clinic for individuals with special needs at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center.

Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation, the 501(c)(3) charitable arm of Delta Dental of Illinois, is pleased to announce a $1 million grant has been awarded to Advocate Health Care Charitable Foundation to assist in the funding of a new dental facility at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. This new comprehensive dental clinic will expand capacity to provide dental services to children and adults with special needs. The clinic will have two outpatient dental anesthesia suites, two outpatient procedure rooms, two dental operatories dedicated to providing oral health services for special needs patients and two recovery rooms. 

We are pleased to support Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center in increasing access to oral health care for those with special needs. Individuals with special needs often need special accommodations when receiving oral health treatment, and too many face significant barriers in achieving good oral health. This grant will help increase oral health equity for those with special needs, helping more Illinoisans with special needs receive quality dental care. 

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center’s current outpatient dental facility has completed 600 procedures that require dental anesthesia for individuals with special needs since 2019. They currently have more than 160 patients on their waiting list to receive treatment. The new dental facility will allow Advocate Illinois Masonic to reduce wait times for patients to receive dental treatment, as well as allow treatment of 250-500 more patients each year who have medically complex cases and special needs and require general anesthesia. The new clinic will be in the same building as the Pediatric Developmental Center. 

Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center's vision is to continue to close the gap and improve access to oral health care for children and adults with special needs. The significant facility updates will make a tremendous impact in addressing oral health care gaps and disparities for the communities served. 

Delta Dental of Illinois Foundation is the largest donor for this $4.2 million project which will help fulfill Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center's vision of providing quality treatment and improving the oral and overall health for children and adults with special needs.