Aetna Establishes Relationship With The National Dental Association To Eliminate Disparities In Dental Health
$35,000 grant seeds programs to promote opportunities in dental care for under-represented populations
HARTFORD, Conn., August 24, 2004 ― Aetna (NYSE: ΑET) today announced a $35,000 grant to the National Dental Association (NDA) to support ongoing efforts to eliminate disparities in dental health care. The grant will help the NDA continue its mission to enhance the skills of its members, recruit minorities into the profession and create opportunities for research.
"We are delighted to join the NDA in its efforts to promote oral health care among underserved populations," said Dr. Michael Hahn, Aetna Regional Dental Director and NDA Corporate Roundtable member. "The goals of the NDA align with Aetna’s mission to identify areas of focus and courses of action to address disparities in health care."
In 2003, Aetna provided approximately $3.0 million in funding to programs focused primarily on addressing disparities in health and disease prevention. Since 1982, Aetna has published the African American History Calendar in recognition of the outstanding contributions African Americans make to health care. The 2004 calendar saluted African American dentists and their role in public health. As part of Aetna’s $35,000 grant, the NDA Foundation received $10,000 in proceeds from sales of the calendar. The remaining $25,000 of Aetna’s grant was donated to the Corporate Roundtable, which is the NDA’s advisory board that proposes growth and fundraising opportunities at both a local and national level.
"Visiting the dentist can make a big difference in a person’s health – almost 90 percent of systemic diseases, including diabetes and cardiovascular disease, display early warning signs in the mouth. Routine oral examinations can help detect them," said NDA President Dr. Joy Jordan. "Aetna’s contribution and leadership will be of great value as the NDA continues to promote the importance of dental health care for minorities."
To elevate the dental health status of minorities, the NDA works to improve the delivery of oral health care in underserved communities while improving educational opportunities of minorities in the oral health field. The NDA formed its Corporate Roundtable in 1997 to provide resources, advice and counsel to the NDA on membership, scholarship and community education.
The National Dental Association (NDA) is comprised of 48 state and local chapters throughout the United States and Caribbean that represent over 7,000 black dentists and 35 million black Americans. Since its inception in 1913, the NDA has been dedicated to increasing minorities’ access to care by serving as advocates in the legislative arena and private sector. Today, the NDA strives to ensure continuing service and workforce diversity by actively promoting the oral health care field as a viable profession for African Americans and other under-represented minorities.
As one of the nation’s leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability and long-term care benefits, Aetna puts information and helpful resources to work for its approximately 13.4 million medical members, 11.4 million dental members, 8.1 million pharmacy members and 12.6 million group insurance members to help them make better informed decisions about their health care and protect their finances against health-related risks. Aetna provides easy access to cost-effective health care through a nationwide network of more than 633,000 health care professionals, including over 377,000 primary care and specialist doctors and 3,866 hospitals. For more information, please visit www.aetna.com.
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