A Commitment to Children | Compassionate Care | A Community Partner
Message from the Chairman and CEO |
January 25, 2010
Last week the federal government, in coordination with 21 states and the District of Columbia, announced a settlement with FORBA that is the result of months of collaboration between our company and its regulators. It encourages us to remain the nation’s premier provider of dental care for low-income children across the nation and is a historic agreement, which brings a conclusion to the investigation of our services at both the state and federal levels.
Despite implications to the contrary in the government’s press release, we entered into the settlement to avoid the delay, uncertainty, inconvenience and expense of litigation, and did not admit any liability. The settlement validates changes we made to improve training initiatives for our dentists and caregivers, strengthen our compliance and internal auditing processes and enhance the care that we provide to children who visit our centers every day. It also allows us to stay focused on children’s oral health, proceed with plans for growth and continue to expand access to care for communities across the country.
I am proud to say that we never lost focus over the past three years on what is important – the children and communities we serve. During the period leading up to the settlement, we treated nearly 3 million nationwide. We also launched initiatives that provided free dental screenings to more than 8,000 children in low-income communities. Our caregivers took part in local events and ongoing education efforts with the goal of educating parents and children about oral health. These efforts did not go unnoticed: newspapers and television stations across the country highlighted the dentists, hygienists, assistants and staff that have been actively working to fight the epidemic of tooth decay in our country. We stand behind our current dentists and the high quality work they are performing every day.
Despite the challenges of the past several years, our caregivers have done an outstanding job under difficult circumstances and their commitment to the mission has never been stronger. Today begins a new chapter in our company and we will work together to continue to provide high-quality dental care to the children who depend on us for care.
