In response to the pandemic, Delta Dental of Tennessee's charitable arm, the Smile180 Foundation, has donated more than $325,000 to the state's seven children's hospitals.
"While adult hospitals have heroically cared for COVID-19 patients, we can't forget about our children's hospitals, who are coping with lost revenue, cancelled fundraising events and limited access to federal relief," said Phil Wenk, DDS, CEO and president of Delta Dental of Tennessee.
Nationwide, pediatric COVID-19 cases rose 90 percent between early July and early August, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children's Hospital Association. The organizations also found that Tennessee had the fourth-highest cumulative number of pediatric cases.