L.A. Care, a public health program providing coverage to low-income residents in Los Angeles County, Calif., recently awarded $1.5 million in grants to expand oral healthcare in communities of color.
According to the L.A. County Department of Public Health, 74 percent of white residents visited a dentist in the last year, while only 54 percent of Black residents and 50 percent of Latino residents did.
The grants were awarded to 12 organizations working to expand access to care for patients living in "dental deserts" to increase health equity, L.A. Care said in an April 18 news release shared with Becker's.
The organizations will receive up to $125,000 to fund staffing, expanded hours and equipment and supplies to mitigate the risk of COVID-19. The grants are expected to help serve more than 11,000 new dental patients.