DentaQuest today announced a $10,000 contribution to Zebra Coalition Inc., a nonprofit organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth.
The support DentaQuest is providing to Zebra Coalition will help provide dental care for clients of the organization — LGBTQ+ youth ages 13 to 24. Zebra Coalition assists young people facing homelessness, bullying, isolation from their families, and physical, sexual and drug abuse with individualized programs to guide them to recovery and stability.
According to the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, the LGBTQ+ community is identified as a “health disparity population” due to lowered access to health care. In addition, many LGBTQ+ patients avoid medical treatment due to past discrimination and fear of stigma, which can lead to higher incidences of oral health problems.
“Zebra Coalition helps vulnerable teenagers and young adults who are struggling to access basic needs,” said Heather Wilkie, executive director, Zebra Coalition. “With DentaQuest’s contribution, we are able to help LGBTQ+ youth overcome the challenges of accessing dental care, which is so important to their overall health and well-being.”
“The work that the Zebra Coalition accomplishes every day has a profound impact on the population it serves,” said Daniel Dorrego, DDS, of DentaQuest. “At DentaQuest, we know that oral health is a critical component of an individual’s overall health, impacting everything from a young person’s ability to do well in school to future economic opportunity.”
DentaQuest has served as the incumbent administrator of the Florida Healthy Kids program for more than 20 years providing Medicaid, CHIP, Medicare Advantage and Health Exchange programs for more than 1.9 million dental and more than half a million vision enrollees across the state. Our local team partners with community organizations focused on initiatives to improve oral health and access to care for all Floridians.
ABOUT DENTAQUEST
Sun Life U.S. Dental, which includes DentaQuest, is dedicated to improving the oral health of all through purpose-driven, outcomes-based solutions. We make dental benefits better for everyone through Preventistry® – an inclusive approach centered on preventive, quality care, expanded access and solutions built on valued relationships across the health care ecosystem. We manage dental and vision benefits for approximately 35 million Americans. For 30 years, we have delivered cost-effective benefit plans and services for employer groups, individuals, health plans, and government-sponsored dental programs. We are the largest Medicaid and CHIP dental benefits administrator in the U.S., by membership. We also support direct patient care through an expanding network of approximately 75 dental practices in underserved communities across the United States. Learn more about Sun Life U.S. Dental at Sunlife.com/dental and DentaQuest.com.
RELATED ARTICLES
Preventistry Pulse Image
PREVENTISTRY PULSE
The newsletter designed for anyone who wants to improve oral health for themselves, their families, customers or communities.