Bank of America Practice Solutions has established a new corporate sponsorship with the Hispanic Dental Association (HDA). This new sponsorship is part of Bank of America’s recently announced four-year commitment of funding to help local communities address economic and racial inequality accelerated by the global pandemic. HDA Corporate Sponsorships are aimed at helping increase professional and student membership in the association. The sponsorship will help HDA provide no-cost continuing education to dental healthcare professionals across the country through the HDA’s “20 for 20” webinars focused on enhancing the patient experience and procedures for personal protective equipment.
“The HDA is proud to partner with Bank of America through a new sponsorship that will support our mission to eliminate oral health disparities in underserved communities across the United States,” said Dr. Manuel Cordero, Hispanic Dental Association Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer. “The coronavirus pandemic has heightened disparities in healthcare outcomes for the Hispanic population and other minority groups. Through our no-cost continuing education webinars, we aim to provide Hispanic dental professionals with the tools and resources to keep their patients safe and healthy.”
According to a national survey conducted by the HDA, 65 percent of Hispanic/Latino respondents say they encountered at least one dental problem in a recent year, and nearly one in five (18 percent) had not visited the dentist at all in the past two years—in both cases, notably higher than the general population. Not only are there disparities in oral health care, there is also a gap in minority representation across the profession. A 2017 report from the Oral Health Workforce Research Center indicates that the growth rate of Hispanic and Latino persons entering the dental profession is not keeping pace with the overall growth of the Hispanic and Latino population in the United States.
“Our team at Bank of America Practice Solutions looks forward to working with the Hispanic Dental Association to support the growth of existing Hispanic dentists, as well as the next generation entering the profession,” said Joe DiNicola, Bank of America Practice Solutions Executive. “Through our new corporate sponsorship with the HDA, we will provide access to loans and guidance in an effort to help Hispanic and Latino dentists to improve oral health outcomes in the communities they serve.”