Dental students from Louisiana State University displaced by Hurricane Katrina receive financial help from Delta
Dental
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| Pictured are, from the left: Pinelopi Xenoudi, DDS; Catherine Badell, DDS; Program Director Raymond Yukna, DMD; Delta Denta of Colorado President and CEO Kathryn Paul; Husam Albzreh, DMD; Katherine Ramos, DMD; Payal Anand, DDS; and Executive Director for Delta Dental of Colorado Foundation Phyllis Albritton. |
Several Delta Dental member companies, including Delta Dental of
Colorado, banded together to donate more than $312,000 to Louisiana State
University (LSU) dental school students displaced by Hurricane Katrina.
Each of the 312 dental students from LSU Health Sciences Center School
of Dentistry will receive a check for $1,000 thanks to a grant funded
by Delta Dental. Delta Dental of Colorado contributed to seven
of the school’s
students who have temporarily relocated to the state and are continuing their
studies at the University of Colorado Denver’s
School of Dentistry.
Hurricane Katrina devastated the LSU campus in New Orleans, which
housed the only dental school in the state. Despite the tremendous challenges
of faculty, staff, and students being scattered across the United States;
crippled communications; and no classrooms, housing, or educational materials,
LSU Health Sciences Center in New Orleans kept its commitment to its students.
Classes resumed, temporarily in Baton Rouge, just weeks after the storm. Through
innovative thinking, classroom space was identified, including building a
30-chair teaching clinic next to a cow pasture.
“
When we heard the plight of these students, many of whom lost not
only their school but their homes and personal belongings in the hurricane,
we knew we wanted to step in and help,” said Kate Paul, president and
CEO for Delta Dental of Colorado, at a Nov. 28 ceremony at the Fitzsimons
campus. “These students are the next generation of dental care practitioners,
and by assisting them in continuing their education, we are investing
in the future.”
Delta Dental of Colorado, Delta Dental of Arkansas, Delta Dental
of California and other affiliated Delta Dental member companies
are part of the Delta Dental Plans Association, the nation’s largest
dental benefits system, which jointly covers about 46 million of
the estimated 160 million
Americans with dental insurance.
