Dental Care for Those in Need

Oral health care is finally starting to get some attention from the philanthropic community as an area of serious need for the uninsured and medically underserved. Oral health is deeply connected to systemic health and is particularly critical for management of chronic diseases including diabetes.

And while I usually get annoyed by online voting processes related to grants (I know, so undemocratic of me), Tom's of Maine Foundation is letting the public vote on one of 16 nonprofit oral health projects across the country. The top 5 vote-getters will each receive a $20,000 grant.

Each organization includes a short video presentation - shot with hand-held cameras provided by the foundation. Get online and check out these cool programs.

And obviously, vote for the Spanish Catholic Center in Washington, DC. The clinic, in operation since 1975, serves over 2,000 low-income, uninsured adults and children from the Hispanic and immigrant communities of Washington, DC each year.

The Spanish Catholic Center's brief video presentation: