Keystone Human Services Expands Access to Dental Care Through DTA Foundation Grant
Keystone Human Services provides specialized services and supports for almost 700 adults with disabilities in Pennsylvania alone. For years, this organization has faced challenges to find a solution to the barriers to accessing dental care, including transportation (often to bigger cities hours away) and the lack of providers willing to take Medicaid. It’s also difficult to find a dentist that works well with people with disabilities and understands dental anxiety.
Thanks to a $25k grant from the DTA Foundation in 2025, Keystone Human Services is piloting a new project that will provide long-delayed dental care to up to 20 people with disabilities. This funding has enabled Keystone Human Services to partner with a local dental clinic, Mid State Dental, which is not only able to provide this care at an affordable set rate, but their newly established relationship will also help other people Keystone Human Services supports to access dental care in the future.
When DTA Foundation Managing Director, Jackie Michaels, sat down with their team in Harrisburg, PA earlier this spring, she had the chance to hear from the Keystone Human Services team and one of the people who received dental care through this project. Victoria, pictured, was able to receive multiple root canals and crowns, saving teeth that would otherwise have been treated only by extraction under her insurance. Together, Jackie and Victoria discussed how she is too young to have her teeth pulled at 40 years old, if there are other options for her dental care.
“Creating independence is at the core of what we do” Kris Weaver, KHS Vice President of Development, shared. He went on to talk about how barriers to accessing dental care can be broken through with the right partnerships. We are so glad that we’re working together to provide care to those in need at Keystone Human Services, helping more people continue to live independently and keep their happy, healthy smiles.