Green Shield Canada and Toronto Foundation partner on new research and funding

Oral health report underscores the mental and physical toll on Torontonians

One in three Torontonians lack dental coverage. Who you are, where you live and what you earn pre-determine your access to dental coverage – yet another consequence of inequality in Toronto – as well as oral health outcomes. Over 860,000 residents (35%) do not have dental insurance, further compromising the health of the city’s most marginalized. The working poor are amongst the worst off as they fall between eligibility cracks – with incomes too high to qualify for publicly funded services and too low to pay out of pocket.

Read the report.

Oral health funding

Local nonprofits have stepped in to fill the dental coverage gaps over the years only to face reductions in volunteers and funding during COVID. In early 2022, Green Shield Canada, with support from Toronto Foundation, awarded $400,000 in one-year grants to five local organizations to address lack of coverage for low-income populations across the city.

TAIBU Community Health Centre

$125,000 – Putting Your Smile Back
Ensuring GTA’s Black-identifying clients access culturally-affirming healthcare based in Malvern, Scarborough
Oral Health programming for children under 17, seniors 65+, and adults on Ontario Works or ODSP
This new program will include oral health education & prevention (in French as well), clinical services (including weekend hrs.), and advancement via community capacity-building for better health outcomes, specifically for Black, Indigenous and racialized communities
Currently TAIBU has the longest wait list of all public oral health clinics for seniors’ services
Grant will support coordination, clinical services, education and supplies

Young Street Mission

$100,000 – Evergreen Health Centre’s Dental Clinic
Barrier-free no-cost health & dental care services for homeless and street-involved youth, 16-24 years with a current roster of 800 clients meeting complex and daily health and dental needs
Staffed by one paid dental assistant + 21 volunteer dentists and hygienists
Comprehensive services include wisdom tooth extractions, prosthetics, orthodontics, reconstructive procedures & preventative cleaning and upkeep
Plan for an expanded clinic and dentistry program (which will double) as YSM opens a second operatory suite
Grant will fund dental assistant, dental supervision & intake administration, dental supplies, equipment & maintenance

Dr. Borna Meisami Commemorative Foundation

$75,000 – Restoring Smiles
Started in 2010 by Tina Meisami in memory of her late brother the foundation provides emergency, compassionate oral health for GTA-based women fleeing abuse breaking the cycle of depression, self-neglect & deterioration of health & sense of self-worth
Services are targeted to women (mostly living in shelters) not eligible for other government-funded oral healthcare and mostly provided by volunteers
Treatment gives relief from pain & fixes visible smile defects, 50+ women’s shelters refer and do pre-screening
Comprehensive treatment (not just the basics covered by ODSP) provided by certified dental professionals & specialist practitioners (5 dentists and 32 volunteer practitioners, all trained in trauma and violence-informed care)
Grant will support staffing for intake, coordination & oversight; training and mentorship, (i.e. trauma-informed approaches to service for dental professionals); materials & admin., i.e. new technology for virtual services, where possible)

Filling the Gap

$50,000 – Dental Outreach Program
New Scarborough-based charity providing basic urgent dental care to low-income uninsured adults in the GTA (80% are working poor, remainder include recent immigrants, work permit holders and homeless)
Scarborough’s Urban Dental Clinic operates four days per week (Rexdale location closed due to COVID, re-opening in 2022)
Treatments include emergency examinations, x-rays, prescriptions, extractions, fillings, and limited root canals and dentures
Volunteer hygienists carry out cleaning and prevention
Grant will be used to hire a dentist two days per week, given that the pandemic makes the reliance on volunteer dentists result in fewer clinic hours

Evangel Hall Mission

$50,000 – Community Dental Clinic
Since 2009, free oral health services have been provided to clients facing homelessness, poverty, refugee/newcomer status, mental & physical health challenges, and addictions
While located downtown on Adelaide St., the clinic welcomes patients from across the city offering all services for free
Four days per week, dental professionals and placement students deliver cleanings, assessments, oral hygiene education, fill cavities, repair dentures and teeth, and treat oral pain and infections
No cost, no catchment restrictions, low/no required documentation, and provided in a comforting, safe, & non-judgmental environment
Dental hygienist & dentist are paid, ensuring continuity of service through the pandemic
Grant funds will support staff expenses, a new anti-Black racism framework initiative, and establishing comprehensive metrics and data gathering processes

Mental health funding

COVID has exacerbated inequalities in this city and residents with already fragile mental health are at risk. In late 2021, Green Shield Canada, with support from Toronto Foundation, awarded $380,000 in one-year grants to three local organizations providing mental health supports to some of the city’s most vulnerable populations.

Anishnawbe Health Foundation (Grant #1)

$100,000 - Reclamation of Traditional Healing Practices program
This new program will provide foundational training in traditional healing practices for traditional helpers and future traditional healers, who are central to supporting Indigenous health and wellbeing but whose numbers have declined dramatically because of colonization and the forced unlearning of traditional ways
The grant contributes to the $2 million in seed funding needed to support 10 students entering the four-year initiative starting in 2022
Anishnawbe Health Toronto aims to serve the 70,000 Indigenous people living in Toronto and provides 33,000 client visits annually, making it the most used Indigenous social service in the GTA

Anishnawbe Health Foundation (Grant #2)

$50,000 towards the Wisdom Weavers Pandemic Recovery Storytelling project to strengthen mental health and help address social isolation
Loss of land, culture and family life through government-led policies like the residential school system and the ‘60s Scoop’ have had a traumatic impact on the Indigenous community, especially in the area of mental health. The COVID-19 pandemic and the resulting lockdowns and the cancelling of in-person community events and ceremonies have exacerbated this trauma. More Indigenous community members live alone or are single parents than the non-Indigenous population and isolation has led to increased anxiety and depression. It has also put those with addictions at risk of relapse and self-harm, resulting in increased overdose deaths in the community during the pandemic.
Storytelling is medicine for the spirit and Wisdom Weavers will focus on themes of enduring troubling times, surviving challenges, family resilience and emerging from the pandemic stronger.
This grant will support the professional video production and live streaming of a year of monthly virtual teachings/storytelling sessions by Indigenous Elders and traditional healers from across Turtle Island.

Caribbean African Canadian Social Services (CAFCAN)

$130,000 - Minding our Minds
While based in North York, the program is a culturally safe mental health support service for all Caribbean African/Black Canadian persons in the GTA based on the evidenced-based Afrocentric priniciples of Ma’at and Nguzo Saba
Service delivery will be a hybrid model through the pandemic, and is expected to support over 800 Torontonians
Programming plans include: developing a comprehensive clinical practice framework for Black children, youth and families; hiring staff to provide robust mental health support groups for Black men; facilitating a frontline workers' bi-weekly support group; and developing a Black mental health support strategy

Children’s Aid Foundation of Canada

$100,000 - Connections Program
Specialized supports via seven community partnerships across GTA meaning that youth won’t be hampered by long waitlists
Youth in crisis can access immediate in-house services provided by Children’s Aid Society of Toronto
More funds means youth can access 15 therapy and counselling sessions instead of just 10
Goal is to support over 800 youth over four years