Building Social Cohesion and Global Prosperity: A Journey with Project Ireland 2040 & DeCare
Maureen Walsh Managing Director, DeCare
“Perhaps our greatest asset is, in fact, our social cohesion built on shared values and a belief in ourselves as the authors of our own destiny.”
There is a growing recognition and focus on the vital role that business must play in helping to foster greater social cohesion in Ireland and around the world. Social cohesion is a fundamental driver of long-term health, prosperity, and competitiveness across all sectors. The DeCare team is privileged to play a role in this advancement by partnering with over 500 dynamic companies, close to 70,000 members in Ireland and 9 million members in the US who are dedicated to advancing the oral and vision health of their multinational, multi-generational and multi-talented teams.
Each day, we are collectively helping more people to attend the dentist, the optician and improving the overall health of the population. Over the past 5 years, our Irish members have received over 280,000 dental treatments covered by DeCare plans. In 2023, our team introduced new benefits designed to provide extra cover for preventive care during pregnancy, people with diabetes, and those undergoing chemotherapy. All of which have proven links from oral health to overall health.
We are collaboratively advancing efforts to decrease global productivity losses attributed to dental diseases, which are currently estimated at $323 billion.
The societal impact of this corporate investment, encouragement from corporate leadership teams, and proactive enablement through rewarding work, specifically focused on health, is multi-faceted resulting in enhanced quality of life and resulting in reduced cost of dental and optical care for our members and partners globally. This will become increasingly important as the Irish population continues to grow at higher than projected rates. There is a notable projected increase in retirees by 40% over a ten-year period.
It is imperative that public and private financing systems co- exist and are complementary in achieving the best outcomes for the population.
Policy makers can support businesses through tax incentives, such as the reduction in BIK, that enable this cohesion which enhances quality of life. Whether this be dental health, mental health, or general health benefits.
The West of Ireland is in a unique global leadership position. The ecosystem of talent, whether that be in the private or public sector, has an opportunity to continue to drive innovation in ways that will advance global society. It must be underpinned with smart, joined up and relentless focus on delivering the infrastructure required to support the success built to date and advancing skills and capability of people. The National Training fund presents a unique opportunity to unlock corporate investment, whether that be to develop AI skills, IT Security Skills, or people skills to drive innovation and service delivery. These skills will impact and underpin every sector.
There is a strong sentiment amongst companies and innovative teams in the West of Ireland that can be characterised by the quote “We haven’t come this far just to come this far.” It is a tie that binds and impacts customers globally. Collectively, we have a responsibility to make sure that policy, funding, and engagement drives that agenda across all sectors. Ireland’s size fueled by global reach, relationships and commitment remains a powerful global force for good, prosperity and health.
