1510-11553

Support to the California Dental Association Foundation to support the CDA Cares event taking place on April 16-17, 2016 in Ventura, California. CDA Cares is a two-day dental clinic where volunteer dentists, working alongside community volunteers, provide pro bono dental services valued at approximately $2 million. The main goal is to increase the overall health of individuals by relieving pain and eliminating infection for community members who experience barriers to care. The program provides cleanings, fillings, extractions, complete and partial dentures (stayplates), oral health education, and assistance in finding a dental home to approximately 2,000 people at each clinic. Many state elected officials have attended past clinics; which contributed to the reinstatement of the adult Denti-Cal program in 2014. CDA has excellent relationships with the administration and legislators and educates elected officials on the importance of oral health to overall health and the impact of dental public health programs on population health.This event serves as a call-to-action effort raise awareness of the broken oral health system that has resulted in countless California residents being unable to access high quality, consistent, and affordable oral healthcare and well being. An award of $10,000 will have a direct impact on access to oral healthcare for over 2,000 California residents.