Updated May 2, 2023: The CDA Foundation opened the Ukraine Relief Fund in March 2022 to support the provision of dental care for Ukrainian civilians and soldiers who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine.
The Foundation is pleased to report that the fund raised $41,000 through the generous support of CDA members and other donators. CDA and TDIC also contributed to the fund. One hundred percent of the contributions went toward the purchase of dental equipment that will be sent to the Myron Uhryn Charitable Foundation this spring. The equipment includes five full portable dental units, portable X-ray equipment and handpieces.
The Ukraine Relief Fund is no longer accepting donations, but you can read more about this effort in our original story below.
As originally published on March 24, 2022: The California dental community is organizing to support humanitarian relief for Ukrainians as Russia continues its military invasion of Ukraine and increasingly targets civilian areas ― leaving hundreds of thousands of people without power, shelter and access to essential goods and services.
To support the provision of dental care for Ukrainian soldiers and Ukrainian civilians displaced by Russian attacks, the CDA Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the California Dental Association, has opened the Ukraine Relief Fund. The fund is now accepting monetary donations from CDA members and others who wish to contribute.
To commence this effort, CDA contributed $10,000 to the fund.
“CDA stands for the profession of dentistry and oral health and is proud to take action to support our dental colleagues in Poland and Ukraine along with the displaced Ukrainians they are serving,” said CDA President Ariane Terlet, DDS.
One-hundred percent of the contributions will go toward supporting dental care organized by Polish humanitarian aid organizations and Pavel Niderman, DDS, a dentist who practices in San Francisco. Dr. Niderman has been involved with humanitarian dental aid to Ukraine for four years.
Although the war interrupted the next dental mission scheduled for April, Niderman said he is in daily contact with the chief oral surgeon of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine to help distribute U.S.-donated materials, instruments and supplies throughout the country. Niderman, with assistance from Ukrainian officials, has helped to prepare a list of dental supplies to support dental care, and dental supply company Henry Schein is contributing and helping to coordinate donated supplies through its European network.
Donate online to relief fund in four easy steps
It is easy to make a one-time donation. Simply (1) specify the donation amount, (2) select the frequency of the donation (one-time) and (3) select “I want to support” from the drop-down menu and then choose the Ukraine Relief Fund. After completing the additional fields, (4) click “continue” to proceed with payment.
“Thank you very much to our dental community, CDA and dental supply companies for their direct assistance, time and funding and for putting us in contact with members of the community who are already making a difference,” Niderman said.
The nonprofit, nonpartisan Council on Foreign Relations is tracking the war in Ukraine with updates on the number of civilian casualties and refugees.