Published July 28, 2020
The Dental Hygiene program at the University of Louisiana Monroe will purchase additional personal protective
equipment – commonly known as PPE – thanks to a $20,000 grant from Delta Dental Community Care Foundation.
Jordan Anderson, Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene in the School of Allied Health,
College of Health Sciences, secured the relief grant, which provides unrestricted funds to organizations affected
by the COVID-19 pandemic.
PHOTO: Jordan Anderson, left, University of Louisiana Monroe Associate Professor in the Dental Hygiene program, works with Georgeanna Cook, a senior from
Crossett, Ark., in the Dental Hygiene Clinic. Anderson secured a relief grant from
Delta Dental Community Care Foundation for $20,000 to purchase PPE and other safety equipment
for the program.
Sid Gaulee/ULM Photo Services
“The COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in an obvious infection control issue for those
in the dental field and healthcare setting,” said Anderson, who has a B.S. in Dental
Hygiene from ULM and an M.A. in Dental Hygiene from the University of Tennessee in
Memphis.
Anderson said the PPE would provide additional protection for students, faculty, and
patients in the dental hygiene clinics, and help the program comply with new guidelines
established for the pandemic by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and American Dental Association, as well as state regulations.
The Delta Dental Community Foundation $20,000 grant will purchase PPE such as N95
masks, ASTM Level 3 masks, face shields, disposable gowns, goggles, plexiglass panels,
disinfectants, sterilizers, thermometers, and disinfecting treatments for water lines
for the ULM Dental Hygiene Program.
“These funds can secure personal protective equipment such as N95 (respirator) masks,
ASTM Level 3 (high barrier) masks, face shields, disposable gowns, goggles, plexiglass
panels, disinfectants, sterilizers, thermometers, and disinfecting treatments for
water lines,” she said.
Some of the grant funds may be used for air purifiers and new technology to maintain
social distancing mandates.
“With these funds, we can sustain and improve infection control procedures in our
ULM Dental Hygiene Program clinics. These funds will also be utilized to improve technology
capabilities in our clinic and classroom to comply with state regulations due to COVID
19,” Anderson said.
Anderson said that with 30 juniors and 29 seniors enrolled in the program for Fall
2020, every available protective precaution is being taken.
“As a university and a professional healthcare program, it is our duty to protect
our students, faculty, and patients,” she said.
The program has received two previous grants from the Delta Dental Community Care
Foundation. In 2018, a grant funded radiology equipment, including digital sensors,
phosphor plates, and scanners. A 2019 grant purchased patient treatment equipment,
patient education supplies, and iPads and computer equipment for the campus clinic. With
this grant, the total grant funding from Delta Dental is $60,000.
