Because of you, the PDS Foundation leaves a lasting impact

THANK YOU FOR BEING A FORCE FOR GOOD.

BY: KYLE GUERIN, Director, PDS Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility

The Pacific Dental Services Foundation was formed in 2012 to create service opportunities and further the reach and positive impact that PDS provided locally, nationally and internationally. What started as a single initiative blossomed into a breakthrough idea.

We began with international service trips to Ethiopia and Fiji where volunteers traveled to not only provide urgent dentistry, but to also educate and inspire future dentists at Mekelle University in Ethiopia. With the help of Henry Schein Cares, the PDS Foundation donated needed supplies and dental chairs to two separate clinics. This donation paved the pathway to the establishment of a supply chain, allowing the university to receive a generous amount of essential dental equipment.

We built and launched the Mobile Dental Clinic to provide access to care across the United States. Not only did this expand the opportunities for individuals to serve, but it helped create healthier and happier patients in the communities we serve.

In 2015, we partnered with the University of San Carlos to establish our first clinic in Guatemala. The opportunity opened the door for dental students to serve patients 10 months out of the year. We have also welcomed countless volunteers to Guatemala and look forward to 2022 trips planned in July and September.

But we didn’t stop there. The Dr. Carolyn Ghazal Dental Assistant Scholarship program was established to grow the five-year standing dental assistant profession and eliminate potential financial barriers. Since then, we have witnessed over 119 future, service-minded dental assistant leaders jumpstart their careers. In the coming years, the PDS Foundation expects to continue its efforts to elevate the dental assistant profession through scholarships and financial support.

Lastly, the PDS Foundation tackled the complex challenge of access gaps for an underserved and vulnerable population through our Special Needs Dentistry program. What began as a humble training and advocacy program in 2016 has led to providing specialized education to over 1,500 dental

professionals. With the help of PDS-supported owner dentist Jacob Dent, DDS, a section of his office was transformed into an integrated special needs practice. One beginning step inspired our first PDS Foundation Dentists for Special Needs office in Phoenix, Ariz. It was the ripple that created a wave. We intend to replicate this practice model across the country and provide a solution for patients with special needs to seamlessly have access to care.

We could not have accomplished all of this without your help. The PDS Foundation is grateful for each team member who has partnered with us over the years whether volunteering at an event, traveling internationally to provide donated dentistry, supporting the PDS Foundation through ongoing payroll deductions, as a Legacy Club member or fundraising. For all your service, we simply want to say, “Thank you.”

We continue to look at ways to expand our service footprint with more trips to Guatemala, more DA scholarships and more access to care for patients with special needs. That also means we have to say goodbye to other programs including discontinuing travel to Ethiopia and Fiji and Mobile Dental Clinic services. Our goal is to leave a legacy where everyone has a heart to serve and a home for oral healthcare. In 2022, it’s Game On.

To learn more about making a difference in the lives of others, please visit the We Serve Center.

KYLE GUERIN, Director, PDS Foundation and Corporate Social Responsibility