Rep. Heaton Receives Outstanding Public Service Award

Posted on February 5, 2018 in Corporate

Photo: (L to R) Representative David Heaton is presented with the Outstanding Public Service Award for Excellence in Oral Health by Lynh Patterson, government relations manager with Delta Dental of Iowa.

Representative David Heaton was recently recognized by Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation with the “Outstanding Public Service Award for Excellence in Oral Health.” Over the past 24 years, Representative Heaton has spent a significant amount of his time in public service focused on improving the health of Iowans, including a focus on oral health. 

“Since 1995, Representative Heaton has been an advocate for policy solutions to improve services to those less fortunate,” said Jeff Russell, president and CEO of Delta Dental of Iowa.  “Throughout his career he has worked in a bi-partisan way to find solutions by seeking input from many.  He is a tireless leader and supporter of many initiatives including the formation of the I-Smile Program, a care coordination program for Iowa’s Medicaid children, and ensuring that the Medicaid Expansion bill in 2013 included dental care.  These two actions have provided more access to quality dental care for Medicaid adults and children in Iowa.”

“I am honored to receive this award from the Delta Dental of Iowa Foundation,” said Representative Heaton. “Oral health is very important to overall health but it’s often overlooked. This is why I was excited about expanding Medicaid to include the Dental Wellness Plan. It was an innovative approach to getting low-income Iowans the oral health care they needed while incentivizing good oral behavior changes. As a member of the health committee at the National Conference of State Legislatures, I am often asked by other states about our programs and I am proud to tell them what we are doing in Iowa.”

Representative David (“Dave”) Edward Heaton, is the Iowa State Representative from the 84th District, representing all of Henry County and the northern portion of Lee County.  Born and raised in Sigourney, Iowa, he received his B.A. in history in 1964 from Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa where he currently resides.  For 40 years, he and his family owned and operated a popular restaurant operation, The Iris, located in Mount Pleasant.  He and his wife, Carmen, are the parents of two grown children and have two grandchildren.  Representative Heaton currently serves as Chair of the Health & Human Services Appropriations committee and a committee member in the Iowa House for the Appropriations committee; the Human Resources committee; and the Government Oversight committee.