DELTA DENTAL PLAN OF NEW JERSEY MAKES DONATION TO PATERSON PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICT FOR NEW DENTAL ASSISTANT TRAINING PROGRAM

PARSIPPANY, NJ (February 28. 2002) – The Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation brought smiles to the faces of Paterson high school students and administration with a $50,000 donation to the Paterson School District. The donation, made in conjunction with Delta Dental's commitment to community outreach, has been used to help fund a new dental assistant training program at the school district's Health and Related Professions Academy (HARP).

"Delta Dental came to us with the possibility of start-up funding for our new vocational program, which is very unusual. Having Delta Dental come forth to make this a reality is well beyond our expectations," said Maria Workman, RDH, MS, coordinator of Dental Services for the Paterson School District.

Delta Dental's donation was used to provide the classroom with a fully functioning dental operatory that includes a dental chair, compressor, suction unit and dental instruments. Funds were also used to purchase computer stations, dental software, printers, scanners, educational videos, TV/VCRs, and other small dental lab materials necessary for the program.

"Community outreach is an integral part of our business operation," explained Walter VanBrunt, President and CEO. "For this donation, we sought out a school district where funding was most needed and where it could have the greatest impact. Our financial commitment to the Paterson training program means that its students will have the resources they need to learn their trade and develop invaluable skills."

Delta Dental has made a further commitment to the Paterson School District by donating an ongoing yearly scholarship between $1,000-$1,500 to a graduating senior in the dental assistant program. The scholarship will be used to help the student complete his/her certification.

The main objective of the dental assistant program is to provide students with vocational classes that are linked to an American Dental Association (ADA) accredited post-secondary program. Students will earn both high school credits, as well as credits that can be transferred to an accredited dental assistant program at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey (UMDNJ). All classroom instruction will be conducted in the HARP Academy, while the practical applications will be done in the school's fully operational, four-chair dental clinic. Teachers who are adjunct professors at UMDNJ will instruct classes.

The HARP academy is one of Paterson's six magnet schools. The dental assistant program will join the academy's current curriculum, which includes a registered nurse assistant program and a pharmacy assistant program. All the programs are designed to provide students with skills that will make them employable as well as providing opportunities to reinforce those skills in a work environment.

The Paterson School District has a strong school-to-career program initiative and is dedicated to looking after the needs of its students. It is one of only a handful of districts that offers a comprehensive dental care clinic for those students who would not otherwise be able to afford care. The district found that dental health had an impact on learning, and that dental neglect played a large role in absenteeism. Based upon these findings, the district schedules dental visits four days each week from September through July, with more than 3,000 scheduled each year.

Delta Dental established the Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey Foundation in 1986. Its mission includes promoting and assisting educational projects devoted to the enhancement of dental health, research programs designed to increase public awareness of the general benefits of good health, and to improve dental health through the science of dentistry. Each year, the Delta Dental Foundation provides financial support to various organizations throughout the state.

Delta Dental Plan of New Jersey, Inc., is New Jersey’s and Connecticut's leading dental benefits carrier, providing coverage to more than one million people through contracts with employers in New Jersey and Connecticut. The Delta Dental Plan system is a national network of independently operated, not-for-profit dental service corporations specializing in providing dental benefits programs for employee groups throughout the country. For more information visit us on the Web at www.deltadentalnj.com.