Tom’s of Maine Holds Vote on Dental Clinic Program

Tom’s of Maine is encouraging a public vote to determine which dental clinics around the country will split $100,000 in project sponsorship funding as part of its annual Dental Health For All (DHFA) program.

Sixteen dental clinics from around the country are featured at www.tomsofmaine.com, where the public can learn more about the clinics, see videos about their community efforts and vote to determine which five clinics will receive $20,000 each in funding.

“Given the current economic situation, more and more families are dependent upon their local non-profit clinics for quality, low-cost dental care,” said Kate Bussell at Tom’s of Maine. “That is why it’s so important that these clinics receive adequate funding so they can continue to play a vital role in their communities. We think that a vote will educate and engage the public about their outstanding efforts.”

Tom’s of Maine, which has a long history of supporting local non-profit dental clinics, created the DHFA program to award clinics that make a difference by ensuring under served communities have access to oral health care. Since its inception, Tom’s of Maine has helped make 204,000 additional patient visits possible and more than 25 school- and community-based dental clinics have received support totaling more than $900,000 in sponsorship donations.

The following clinics applied for funding and were chosen as finalists based on the positive impact and achievability of the project submitted: Penobscot Community Health Care, Bangor, ME; St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island, North Providence, RI; Holland Free Health Clinic, Holland, MI; Family Health Centers of San Diego, San Diego, CA;Families First Health & Support Center, Portsmouth, NH; Esperanza Health Center, Philadelphia; Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program, Boston; Apple Tree Dental, Minneapolis, MN; Spanish Catholic Center, Inc., Washington D.C.; Community Healthcare Network, New York City; Dientes Dental Clinic, Santa Cruz, CA; Visiting Nurse Association of Fox Valley, Aurora, IL; Manos De Cristo, Austin, TX; Neighborcare Health, Seattle, WA;Pacific University School of Dental Health Science, Forest Grove, OR; and Piedmont Health Services, Inc., Carrboro, NC.

Voting concludes on March 12; the winners will be announced in April.