November 30, 2005
Contact: Bev Pfeifer-Harms
Director of Communications
314.345.5500 office

Foundation Rolls Out First Priority Area Grant Opportunity

St. Louis -Missouri Foundation for Health (MFH) wants to help children in its service area avoid the problems associated with tooth decay. To achieve that goal, the Foundation is using a new funding method called Priority Area Grants (PAGs).

Smiles Across Greater MO, the first of four 2006 PAG opportunities, seeks to provide dental sealants and prevention education to underserved Missouri children. Dental sealants have been proven to be effective in preventing tooth decay and also preventing costly restorative treatments later in life. Through this PAG, the Foundation hopes to increase the percentage of children in its 84-county service region who receive dental sealants and decrease the number of children who suffer with the effects of untreated tooth decay, including severe pain, decreased school performance, absenteeism and impaired speech development.

Tooth decay remains the most common chronic disease of children in the United States aged 5 to 17 years - four times more common than asthma. It also occurs more frequently and is of more severity among low-income, minority, uninsured and underinsured children and adolescents.

"The use of dental sealants combined with a well-delivered oral health education program is critical in promoting the oral health of Missourians," said Dr. James Kimmey, MFH president and CEO. "We are confident that our first PAG will have a lasting effect among children who have had limited access to regular, ongoing dental care."

Eligible organizations can apply for a maximum PAG grant of $400,000 over four years. Other eligibility requirements and more information can be found at the MFH Web site, www.mffh.org. Applications are available now and will be accepted between January 3 - 17, 2006, with an anticipated award date of March 2006.

As the Foundation enters its fourth year of grant-making, PAGs represent a new strategy for offering funding opportunities. "This newly focused grantmaking allows us to make an immediate impact in a specific area of need throughout our service area," said Kimmey. "This change in funding strategy comes from what we've observed and what we've heard from Missourians in our first five years."

MFH will continue to fund eligible organizations through basic support and long range initiative grants.
The three other PAGs to follow in 2006 are aniticipated to focus on the issues of health literacy, dual diagnosis/co-occurring disorders and chronic care.

Established in 2000 through the for-profit conversion of Blue Cross Blue Shield of Missouri, MFH is the largest non-governmental funder of community health activities in the state. The Foundation is in its fourth year of grantmaking, issuing more than $140 million in grants and awards to date. It is dedicated to serving the uninsured and underserved in 84 Missouri counties and the City of St. Louis.

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