On July 24-26, Delta Dental of Virginia contributed to free dental care for 1,545 patients in Wise, Virginia through their involvement in the Virginia Mission of Mercy Projects. The VA MOM events are conducted in underserved areas all over the state of Virginia to address the oral health needs of individuals in communities that lack access to dental care.

Partnering with the Virginia Dental Association, the Virginia Health Care Foundation, the Virginia Commonwealth School of Dentistry, and of course, Delta Dental of Virginia, the Virginia Dental Health Foundation launched the Mission of Mercy and began to “make caring visible” in 2000. This year, they had over 200 volunteers help treat low-income and uninsured Virginians. The project takes place in Grundy, Roanoke, the Eastern Shore and Northern Virginia, but the project in Wise is the oldest and by far the largest.

Since its launch in 2000, the Wise County MOM has treated nearly 13,000 patients and given them an estimated $6.7 million in free dental services. The Mission of Mercy projects are conducted in identified, underserved areas of the state where there are not enough dental practitioners to adequately address the oral health needs of the community. Any individual who is able to show up on site is considered eligible.

“Delta Dental’s support of Mission of Mercy in Virginia is an important component to fulfilling our mission to improve access to care for all Virginians”, says George Levicki, DDS, president and CEO, Delta Dental of Virginia. “The MOM events in places like Wise, Virginia help people who, in many cases, have nowhere else to turn. We are proud to be a part of this outreach that makes such a difference.”

For more information on other Delta Dental of Virginia community outreach programs, please visit the community service section of their website.