On Wednesday, May 21, Mississippi Transportation Commission Chairman Willie Simmons joined a partnership launch celebration in Mound Bayou that aims to transform how vulnerable seniors access quality oral health care by investing in strategic community partnerships.
The Delta Health Center, Bolivar County Council on Aging, Inc. (BCCOA) and the Mississippi Department of Health (MSDH) have joined forces to address the oral health crisis among older adults in the U.S. with support of the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation. The partners were recipients of a $5 million grant on behalf of Delta Dental Community Care Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental, to work together to improve access to quality oral health care of underserved seniors.
“Since the beginning, affordable healthcare has been inadequate in rural America, like the Mississippi Delta. Today, we are attempting to change that,” said Simmons. “As Commissioner, I stand ready to support the transportation aspect of this to ensure we do whatever is needed to assist this partnership to serve our senior citizens in the Delta.”
The Mississippi Delta Partnership joins the groundbreaking, multi-year Delta Dental Senior Oral Health Partnership program, launched in 2022, to assess and address the barriers to oral health care for vulnerable seniors across the Mississippi Delta region. The four partners have been awarded a grant of $5 million over five years to collaboratively address the oral health needs of seniors in the Mississippi Delta.
“I am excited for the partnership that has developed between our community transit provider, BCCOA, Delta Dental Community Health, the Delta Health Center and MSDH,” said Shirley Wilson, Director of MDOT’s Public Transit Division. “Reliable transportation access to health care options is crucial to the improvement of health outcomes for older adults, especially in rural areas of the state. We congratulate BCCOA and look forward to continuing working with them to ensure the success and sustainability of this partnership.”
The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation’s Senior Oral Health program will form and direct resources to community-based partnerships of organizations working to transform oral health outcomes, access and equity. The grant is part of Delta Dental’s commitment to senior oral health, which includes more than $20 million in philanthropic giving dedicated to senior oral health initiatives through the Community Care Foundation.
Read more about the historic partnership at bccoatransit.org. Learn more about MDOT’s Public Transit Division at GoMDOT.com/connectms.
