Articles
Foundation Grants $100,000 to Yale-New Haven Hospital Adult Dental Clinic, $15,000 to School-Based Dental Clinic
Golf Outing Winners Announced
Staff Spotlight: Maria Dicino 
Delta Dental Sponsors Dental Hygiene Program at Burlington County College; Offers Scholarships
New Controller Joins Delta Dental

Foundation Grants $100,000 to Yale-New Haven Hospital Adult Dental Clinic, $15,000 to School-Based Dental Clinic

Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation donated $100,000 to Yale-New Haven Hospital for its General Practice Residency Dentistry Program. The money will be used to purchase dental equipment and supplies to upgrade the adult dental clinic.

The Yale-New Haven Hospital adult dental clinic offers comprehensive dentistry to the New Haven, CT, community. The clinic serves as many patients as the dental residents can accommodate. Emergency care is also available 24 hours a day. Almost 85% of its patients are covered by Medicaid; the adult dental clinic also cares for many self-pay patients without dental insurance.

The Foundation also recently awarded a $15,000 grant to the Katherine Brennan School-Based Dental Clinic in New Haven, part of the Hill Health Corporation. This school's clinic provides dental care for underserved children who would otherwise go without it. Grant monies are being used to fund supplies and salary costs.

Golf Outing Winners Announced

The Sixteenth Annual Delta Dental Classic, which raises funds for Special Olympics New Jersey (SONJ), took place in June at Fiddler's Elbow Country Club.

Contest winners include:

1st Place Low Gross (Women): Dr. Leslie Ann Skurla

1st Place Low Gross (Men): Jim Schulz

1st Place Gross Team: Dr. Charles Perle, William Montanaro, Dr. Leslie Ann Skurla, Dr. Tom Paglione

Contributions for this year's event are still being tallied. Over the past 15 years the Delta Dental Classic has raised more than a half million dollars for SONJ. SONJ is dedicated to empowering individuals with mental disabilities to become physically fit, productive, and respected members of society through sports training and competition. Special thanks to all of our participants and sponsors.

Staff Spotlight: Maria Dicino

Delta Dental is pleased to announce that Maria Dicino is our new South Jersey Service Coordinator. She joined Delta Dental on March 27.

A graduate of Thomas Edison State College in Trenton, NJ, Maria started her career at New York Life, where she handled sales, retention and healthcare administrative duties. "It was something I really enjoyed," she recalls.

When another company acquired New York Life in 1999, Maria switched careers. She earned a teaching credential and became a teacher in Margate, NJ.

Still, Maria missed insurance. "When I heard about the position at Delta Dental, I saw a chance to get back into it."

Her duties include helping Account Executive Sal Putiri serve groups in southern New Jersey. She especially enjoys working at open enrollments and health fairs. "It's a chance to meet people and explain their dental benefits," says Maria. "Every day is a new experience."

Delta Dental Sponsors Dental Hygiene Program at Burlington County College; Offers Scholarships

With help from a $240,000 grant from the Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, the fifth dental hygiene program in New Jersey is underway at Burlington County College (BCC). The college now offers a two-year program leading to an associate of applied science degree, with a major in dental hygiene.

Delta Dental's Foundation also donated $6,000 to provide scholarships to BCC dental hygiene students.

BCC currently has 20 students enrolled in the dental hygiene program. Another 24 students will enroll in the fall.

New Controller Joins Delta Dental

Delta Dental of New Jersey is pleased to announce that Stephan Hankowski recently joined the Delta Dental Accounting Department as Controller. In this capacity Hankowski is responsible for overseeing the Accounting Department, maintaining the books and financial records of the company, preparing the financial statements and related filings, participating in preparing the annual budget for Delta Dental and its subsidiary companies, managing investment accounting, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and commissions.

Prior to joining Delta Dental, Hankowski worked at Crum and Forster Insurance as the manager for financial reporting. He is a CPA and an alumnus of Seton Hall University where he earned a bachelor of science degree in accounting.