Grant Will Increase Access to Dental Care for People who are Elderly, Medically Fragile or Living with Disabilities
The Guardian Life Insurance Company of America® (Guardian Life) today announced a $400,000 grant to Dental Lifeline Network (DLN). The grant renews Guardian Life's commitment to help expand dental care access across the country for individuals who are elderly, medically fragile or living with disabilities. Most patients DLN's volunteer dentists treat suffer from seriously neglected diseases and are unable to access dental care due to the cost or lack of dental coverage.
The latest grant will further help DLN extend volunteer dentist recruitment efforts, expand coordinated care and support the Will You See One Vet campaign, a recruitment initiative aimed to engage volunteer dentists to help veterans with special needs. Most veterans do not qualify for dental benefits through the Department of Veterans Affairs[1].
"We are so grateful for Guardian's ongoing partnership and support of our programs," said Fred Leviton, CEO, Dental Lifeline Network. "To date, its support has contributed to over 1,300 patients receiving more than $5 million in donated dental care that they wouldn't otherwise receive."
Through the flagship program Donated Dental Services (DDS), DLN provides complimentary, comprehensive dental care through a national network of nearly 16,000 volunteer dentists and 3,500 volunteer laboratories.
"We're very proud of our partnership with Dental Lifeline Network, and the progress we've made to increase access to quality dental care for the most vulnerable individuals across the U.S.," said Chris Swanker, CEO, Avēsis, a Guardian Company. "At Guardian, we understand that barriers to quality dental care still persist, so it's partnerships like these that enable us to reach those who are underserved and uninsured."
Since partnering with DLN in 2018, Guardian Life has contributed nearly $1 million and helped increase dental care access both nationally and with targeted statewide programs in Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Washington.
To learn more about DLN or to donate, visit www.DentalLifeline.org. If you are a dentist and interested in volunteering to see a Vet, please visit WillYouSeeOneVet.org
Dental Lifeline Network (DLN) is a national charitable organization and strategic partner of the American Dental Association. DLN's mission is to improve the oral health of people with disabilities or who are elderly or medically fragile and have no other way to get help. DLN accomplishes its mission by developing and coordinating collaborative relationships that help provide essential resources for direct-service programs, especially charitable care.
About Guardian
Every day, Guardian provides Americans the security they deserve through our insurance and wealth management products and services. Since our founding in 1860, our long-term view has helped our customers prepare for whatever life brings whether starting a family, planning for the future or taking care of employees. Today, we're a Fortune 250 mutual company and a leading provider of life, disability, dental, and other benefits for individuals, at the workplace and through government sponsored programs. The Guardian community of over 9,000 employees and our network of over 2,500 financial representatives is committed to serving with expertise when, where and how our clients need us. Our commitments rest on a strong financial foundation, which at year-end 2018 included $8.4 billion in capital and $1.4 billion in operating income. For more information, please visit guardianlife.com or follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter and YouTube.
