2023 Community Impact Report: Featuring business strategy and social and environmental responsibility

Delta Dental of California and affiliates is pleased to share its 2023 Community Impact Report, which provides a comprehensive recap of our Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) Program.

This report details the progress that Delta Dental has achieved through its dedication to creating a full ESG Program that manages the connection point between our business strategy and environmental responsibility. It also highlights our formalized approach to our core business, reinforcing our organizational values of Trust, Service, Excellence and Innovation; how we deliver on our purpose to improve health by providing access to quality care; and our commitment to taking exceptional care of our customers, providers, employees and communities.

Inside the 2023 Community Impact Report, you’ll find details on how we manage our organization to focus on:
 

• Communities through philanthropy and volunteering
• Ethics, governance and compliance
• Workplace culture, diversity, inclusion and belonging
• Sustainability efforts that support our planet
• A responsible approach to working with our networks of providers, suppliers and vendors
   

Below are some highlights from 2023, but you can read the full  Community Impact Report here.

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Business
 

• Delta Dental retained 89.6% of our talent, far outpacing industry benchmarks.
   

Environmental
 

• 38% of offices (by square footage) were located in a Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) Certified building.
• Delta Dental has pursued and received WELL HSR certification for its main offices over the last three years. The following offices were recertified or certified in 2023: Alpharetta, Oakland, Rancho Cordova, San Francisco and Camp Hill.
• Enrollees who opted in to paperless mailing increased from 58.9% in 2022 to 60.1% in 2023 and providers who opted in to paperless mailing increased from 47.2% to 51.5% compared to 2022 figures.
   

Social Focus Areas
 

• Living up to our core value of Service, 70% of Delta Dental employees gave back to local communities through volunteerism and giving. We matched, and double matched, nearly 3,000 employee donations totaling close to $750,000.
• We conducted a survey that explored the connection between menopause and oral health. The survey revealed that, though 70% of women 50 and older indicated they have experienced at least one oral health symptom since beginning menopausal symptoms, only 2% have discussed their concerns with their dentist and only 1% with their dental hygienist.
• The Senior Oral Health Partnership Program celebrated its second year of creating pathways for more than 6,000 seniors to access quality oral care.
• In 2023, there were six Inclusion Communities and one working group for employees to participate in, with Inclusion Communities hosting nearly 40 activities focused on professional development, culture, community and commerce.
   

Governance
 

• We created our ESG Council as the governance structure to oversee ESG strategy and its connection to the business strategy and overall goals. The ESG Council is composed of executive leaders from various areas of the company. The Council meets quarterly to discuss prioritization and implementation of the ESG strategy.
• Delta Dental completed our first third-party facilitated ESG materiality assessment to understand the ESG topics that are most relevant to our business and our stakeholders. Based on the assessment, the following topics were identified as our priority ESG areas of focus: Access to Quality Care; Cybersecurity and Protection; Network Partners; Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging; Delta Dental Community Care Foundation
• We reported to ESG reporting platforms, including CDP and EcoVadis.