Applications now open for oral health Grants

Applications now open for oral health Community Service Grants

The Wrigley Company Foundation and NZDA open 2017 Community Service Grants to help high risk groups access dental care

Dental professionals across New Zealand are encouraged to apply for one of 12 Community Service Grants to provide support and access to oral care services and education for at-risk communities in New Zealand and the Pacific.

The grants are a partnership between the Wrigley Company Foundation and the New Zealand Dental Association (NZDA), as both organisations strive to make a difference to the lives of vulnerable groups including children, underprivileged, physically disabled, geographically isolated, and Maori and Pasifika groups.

The twelve grants will provide support to the value of US$35,000:

• 1 x US$10,000 ‘Principles in Action’ Grant to enable one large scale project, such as a national project, to generate lasting change in New Zealand

• 5 x US$1,000 Oral Care Education Grants for smaller scale projects that offer oral health education to high risk groups in New Zealand

• 5 x US$3,000 Treatment Grants for small to medium scale projects that must offer free dental treatment as part of their project to high risks groups in New Zealand

• 1 x US$5,000 Pacific Region Dental Aid Grant offered to a team of dental professionals travelling to Pacific Island communities in need to offer dental aid in the form of oral health education and/or dental treatment

Now in its fourth year, the Community Service Grants programme has helped to transform and improve the lives of thousands across New Zealand and the Pacific.

In 2016, the Wrigley Company Foundation NZDA Community Service Grants programme attracted 51 volunteers and enabled over 800 dental procedures to communities in need worth thousands of dollars.

Nine projects received a Community Services Grant and achieved incredible outcomes for marginalised communities in Waikato, Taranaki, Ruapehu District, Wellington, Otago, Samoa and Fiji. The following is a summary of the projects that received 2016 grants:

• Downtown Community dental outreach programme offers low cost dental assistance to marginalised people in Wellington based on the Maori philosophy of individual spiritual wellbeing

• The Wahine Toa oral healthcare programme targets young mothers living in the North Taranaki region who without funding support would otherwise be unable to access low cost dental treatment

• A Taranaki community project aimed to address unmet need among adult Maori who are hospitalised at a disproportionately high rate for dental concerns compared to other ethnic groups. The grant funding has helped improve access to oral healthcare education and affordable treatment

• River Road’s Revive a Smile community dental project in the Waikato promotes ongoing dental health education and treatment for vulnerable groups, particularly those that are homeless, the elderly and victims of domestic abuse

• As CaMBRIA can be cost prohibitive, funding from the grant helped a small group of children and their families in the Ruapehu District to sample treatment protocols to reduce their risk of dental caries

• The School of Dentistry aimed to improve direct communication with people in Dunedin in most need of oral healthcare education and advice. This grant funding helped provide treatment for low-income earners from Dunedin

• The Kura Wai Maori Kaupapa project aimed to encourage predominantly Maori children in a low socioeconomic area to drink water as an alternative to sugary drinks

• For residents of remote Taveuni Island, grant funding has enabled four New Zealand dentists to travel to Fiji and provide oral health education workshops in local schools

• Grant funding also enabled the Samoa outreach project to support three dental professionals in Samoa and up to 50 volunteer hours of treatment in conjunction with the National Health Service

For the full application criteria and to apply for the Community Service Grants, visit www.healthysmiles.org.nz and download an application form. Applications close 30 June 2017.

-ENDS-

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