Improving oral health

From left, Antonella “Antie” Celli, assistant vice president, branch manager, Investors Bank, Pluckemin, NJ, branch; Jennifer Crohn, Matheny development officer; Steve Proctor, Matheny president; and Ada Melendez, Investors Bank vice president, director of community development, and Investors Foundation trustee.

The Investors Foundation, established in 2005 by Short Hills, NJ-based Investors Bank, exists to enrich the lives of New Jersey and New York citizens by supporting initiatives in health and human services as well as in the arts, education, youth development and affordable housing.

The foundation recently donated $5,000 to Matheny, complementing other grants from Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation, Summit Area Public Foundation and Affinity Federal Credit Union Foundation, to help Matheny acquire a new Vatech Pax-I digital panoramic x-ray machine for the Matheny Center of Medicine and Dentistry. Panoramic x-ray equipment is essential for detecting undeveloped, crowded or impacted teeth. Because these conditions and jaw deformities are more prevalent among individuals with significant disabilities, panoramic imaging is especially important in the Center of Medicine and Dentistry’s dental clinic.

Services in the dental clinic include x-rays, cleanings, treatment of cavities, extractions, restorative dentistry, oral surgery, root canals, behavior management, cancer screening and biopsies. The services are provided in partnership with the Rutgers School of Dental Medicine.

From left, Gary E. Eddey, MD, Matheny vice president and chief medical officer; Kimberly Elmore, Delta Dental community relations administrator; Carl Chaityn, DDS, Delta Dental Foundation board member; Dennis Wilson; Diane Belle, Delta Dental vice president of corporate communications; Gene Napoliello, DDS, Delta Dental Foundation president; and Steve Proctor, Matheny president.

The Delta Dental Foundation of New Jersey provided the initial funding to help Matheny build the dental clinic that is part of our Center of Medicine and Dentistry. And through the years, Delta has continued to provide substantial funding to support our mission of providing dental care to people with disabilities, both within our hospital and in the community.

In September, Dennis G. Wilson was named president of Delta Dental of New Jersey, succeeding Walter VanBrunt, who retired. On October 29, Wilson, accompanied by several other representatives from Delta Dental and its foundation, visited Matheny for the first time to see the dental clinic and learn about Matheny’s dental program. The group also visited the Robert Schonhorn Arts Center, home of Matheny’s Arts Access Program, which enables individuals with disabilities to fully express themselves in the creative arts.

Delta Dental of New Jersey Foundation Inc. is Delta Dental’s philanthropic arm and provides financial support to various organizations throughout New Jersey and Connecticut to help them reach underserved populations. The financial support Matheny receives from Delta, according to Steve Proctor, Matheny’s president, “has been a key to the success of our dental clinic. Without that funding, we wouldn’t be able to continue to serve hundreds of individuals with developmental disabilities.”