School of Dentistry gains $11 million through another donation from advocacy group
By Anaika Miller
April 4, 2013 1:41 a.m.
The UCLA School of Dentistry recently received $11 million from an L.A.-based child advocacy group to expand the scope of its dental care services in Los Angeles County, especially for low-income children and pregnant women.
In July, the advocacy group, called First 5 LA, gave a separate $9.23 million donation to create the UCLA-First 5 Children’s Dental Care program. The program was designed to increase access to and improve the quality of dental care for underserved communities.
The additional $11 million is intended to expand the program’s reach, said James J. Crall, director of the Children’s Dental Care Program.
Crall said the additional funds came as a pleasant surprise for his team.
“(The donation) is really a great benefit to us, and the timing was terrific,” Crall said. “It allows us to utilize a broader range of strategies than were a part of the first project.”
Crall said the program plans to select 10 dental clinics in the Los Angeles County area to work with by the end of this year. He estimates there are tens of thousands of children in the county that require dental care and that this program will be targeting areas with the highest need.
