April 2000

Articles
Delta Dental Welcomes 230 New Accounts from Public, Private Sector
Two New Marketing Employees Come On Board
Delta Dental Helps Dentists ID Child Abuse
New Ad Targets School Boards, Municipalities
Golf Outing Set for June 6
April is Child Abuse Prevention Month: What You Can Do
PANDA Program Receives Honors
Staff Spotlight: Kelly White
Broker News Now Online

Delta Dental Welcomes 230 New Accounts from Public, Private Sector

Delta Dental added more than 230 new accounts and 60,000 primary subscribers in 1999. Among the larger new groups joining Delta Dental in 1999:

• Atlantic Health Systems (New Jersey), a leading health-care system that includes several major hospitals throughout New Jersey.
• Dictaphone (Connecticut), a leader in the development, manufacture, marketing, service, and support of voice and data management systems, which include dictation, voice response, records management, court recording, call center monitoring systems and communications recording.
• Norwalk Board of Education (Connecticut), whose district, the Norwalk Public School System, is considered one of the finest urban school districts in the United States.
• Toms River Board of Education (New Jersey), whose district, the Toms River Regional School District, is the largest suburban school district in New Jersey, with 20 teaching sites and 18,000 students.
• Covance Inc. (New Jersey), which is one of the world's largest and most comprehensive drug development services companies.
• Coin Depot (New Jersey), an armored trucking firm.

Two New Marketing Employees Come On Board

Delta Dental is pleased to announce the addition of two new employees in the Marketing Department. Tina Sparrow is our newest Account Executive, serving Hunterdon, Mercer, Somerset and Warren counties. Mary Anne Miller is our new Marketing Coordinator. Watch for more information about these team members in upcoming issues of Broker News.

Delta Dental Helps Dentists ID Child Abuse

Each year, at least one million children nationwide are physically, emotionally or sexually abused. The actual number is probably much higher, says Sharon Copeland, executive director of Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey, a private non-profit agency that develops prevention programs for at-risk families. "In New Jersey, we investigate child deaths, and an average of one-third of those deaths are known to the Division of Youth and Family Services (DYFS)," she says. "That means a number of children died who weren't known to DYFS, which leads us to believe there are many instances where abuse is occurring and no one reported it." Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey is working to change that. Through the Delta Dental Endowment Association, Delta Dental sponsors an educational program for dentists called PANDA, for Prevent Abuse and Neglect through Dental Awareness. PANDA is aimed at helping dental office personnel recognize and report suspected cases of child abuse and neglect. "Dentists have a unique opportunity to see where most child-abuse injuries occur, which are in the head and neck region," says Dr. Lawrence Dobrin, a forensic dentist from Roselle Park, New Jersey, and PANDA spokesperson. "We have an opportunity to save a child with early intervention." Many people, including dentists, are reluctant to report suspected child abuse because they are uncertain whether an injury resulted from abuse or something else. "The unfortunate thing is, unless you have some knowledge of or exposure to what constitutes child abuse, it is difficult to report or be suspicious," says Dr. Dobrin. "PANDA shows dentists how to identify the difference between accidental injuries and those inflicted by a guardian or caretaker." Thousands of dentists have attended PANDA programs throughout New Jersey and Connecticut. Programs are offered several times a month, not only to dentists, but also to school nurses, teachers and other health-care providers. "More dentists have begun reporting child abuse since we started the PANDA program," says Dr. Dobrin. "They know where to report abuse and have less reluctance once they have some training about what constitutes child abuse." While no one knows exactly how many children have been rescued because someone acted on information learned from a PANDA program, Dr. Dobrin is certain the program is making a difference. "I've received several calls over the years from individuals thanking me because the program made them comfortable reporting child abuse. It made them feel better that they could do the right thing."

New Ad Targets School Boards, Municipalities

Delta Dental recently launched a new print advertisement, which began appearing in school board and municipal publications in March. The full-color ad features a Norman Rockwell-like scene of a terrified little boy and his older brother. One end of a piece of string is wrapped around the little boy's tooth, the other is tied to a doorknob. His older brother is about to slam the door. The headline asks, "Does your dental plan have too many strings attached?" The ad's message focuses on the flexibility of Delta Dental's plans. "You can choose from a variety of plans to suit your budget...and the coverage needs of your employees," says the copy. The ad also touches on other benefits of joining Delta Dental, including access to the largest network of dentists in the nation, and simplified claim processing.

Golf Outing Set for June 6

Resolving to get more exercise and contribute to worthy causes in the next millennium? Here's a way you can do both: join us for the 10th Annual Delta Dental Classic at Cherry Valley Country Club in Skillman, New Jersey, June 6. The annual event raises funds for Special Olympics New Jersey. Last year's Classic raised $50,000 for Special Olympics programs. To date, this annual event has raised $225,000 for Special Olympics. Stay tuned for more golf news. We hope to see you there!

• Wear a blue ribbon. Prevent Child Abuse-New Jersey runs its Blue Ribbon campaign in April, which Delta Dental supports. Last year it distributed 330,000 ribbons, which people wear throughout the month to raise awareness of the problem. Each ribbon comes with information on how to prevent child abuse. For information, call (800) CHILDREN.
  
  
• Report suspected cases of abuse. In New Jersey, contact your local DYFS District Office between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. There is at least one District Office in every county. After hours, the Office of Child Abuse Control operates a toll-free hotline round the clock, at (800) 792-8610. In Connecticut, call the CARELINE at (800) 842-2288. Anyone who reports abuse or neglect, or testifies in a child-abuse hearing resulting from such a report, is immune from any criminal or civil liability as a result.

PANDA Program Receives Honors

The Points of Light Foundation named Delta Dental Endowment Association's PANDA program a Citationist in the 1999 President's Service Awards program, presented by the Points of Light Foundation. "The problems of our communities and of our nation have become so great and so pervasive that it is only with the efforts of dedicated citizens like you and those with whom you work that we can begin to address them successfully," wrote Robert Goodwin, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Points of Light Foundation, to Diane Belle, Delta Dental Assistant Vice President. The PANDA Program was selected for Citation recognition from among 3,500 nominations.

Staff Spotlight: Kelly White

Kelly White, a 10-year veteran of Delta Dental, recently joined the Marketing Department as departmental secretary. Previously, Kelly worked in the Auditing and Underwriting & Actuarial Departments. One of her duties while in Underwriting and Actuarial was preparing and distributing benefits booklets. Besides working at Delta Dental, Kelly is also a student at Sussex County Community College in Newton, New Jersey, where she is studying for an associate's degree in office system skills. "My new position provides lots of opportunities to use the skills I learned in school, such as putting together Power-Point presentations," Kelly says. In her spare time, Kelly enjoys reading romance novels and surfing the Internet for help planning her wedding. She is engaged to marry David Bork on August 18. As the newest person on the Marketing team, Kelly faces the challenge of catching up to her more experienced colleagues. She's ready! "I may not know everything there is to know yet," says Kelly, "but I'm learning more every day, and everyone has been very encouraging. I'm just getting into Marketing, and I'm enjoying it."

Broker News Now Online

Searching for an article from a past issue of Broker News? It's only a mouse-click away. Broker News is just one of the many offerings now available online at Delta Dental's website. The Delta Dental web site features several special sections dedicated to the informational needs of brokers, benefits managers, subscribers and dentists. The Broker's Portfolio area of the web site includes up-to-date information about Delta Dental's commission schedules, convention schedule, how to reach key contacts, and much more. The Manager's Office area, designed especially for benefits managers, features downloadable claim forms, online eligibility enrollment, online change of address capabilities, and more. Past issues of Subscriber News and Dental News are also available on our web site. To access all this, and more, visit us at www.deltadentalnj.com.