For its commitment to service, PDS was honored for being one of the most community-minded companies.
IRVINE, CA. December 21, 2021 – Leading dental support organization Pacific Dental Services® (PDS) is wrapping up 2021 by reflecting on all the philanthropy, donated dentistry and financial support that its 13,000 supported clinicians and team members have contributed to this year – something it likes to call the “We Serve” movement.
Since its founding in 1994, PDS has a long tradition and culture of service, supporting communities locally, regionally and internationally. Beyond donated dentistry and providing for underserved and special needs populations, PDS-supported practices regularly host drives to collect goods, support charity partnerships, and provide team members paid volunteer time to serve with an organization of their choice. Additionally, through their partnership with the PDS Foundation, PDS-supported clinicians and team members travel to Guatemala to provide dental treatment at the PDS Foundation’s Clinica Dental in Xenacoj.
PDS-supported practices provided a total of $8 million in donated dentistry, 53,584 volunteer hours and $648,369 in donations this year. For its efforts, Pacific Dental Services was honored in California as one of Orange County’s Most Community-Minded Companies by OneOC and Points of Light for the third time and was recognized by the Orange County Business Journal as a 2021 Companies that Care honoree.
“2021 has been an incredible year for Pacific Dental Services including the many ways in which our supported practices and team members have been able to serve our communities,” said Stephen E. Thorne IV, Founder and CEO of Pacific Dental Services. “We will continue to support our practices as they care for those in need who have difficulty accessing oral care and whole-heartedly support our team members as they donate their time and talents. We hope our movement grows as we continue to be a force for good in 2022.”
Here are just some of the ways in which Pacific Dental Services has increased access to dental care and strengthened communities in 2021:
PARTNERSHIPS
- Since 2019, Pacific Dental Services has partnered with Special Olympics to support athletes by providing access to oral care and creating educational resources on the link between oral health and overall health, something PDS refers to as The Mouth-Body Connection®. The partnership is also about bridging the gap that patients with disabilities have in receiving comprehensive dental care.
- Since 2009, PDS has partnered with charity: water to bring access to clean drinking water to more than 215,000 people across the globe. This year alone, more than 19,000 benefitted from safe drinking water through this partnership. To date, PDS-supported offices have raised more than $6.6 million for charity: water.
- The PDS Foundation was established in 2012 to improve overall health by improving oral health through local, national and international service. The organization focuses on three main programs: special needs dentistry, dental assistant scholarships and international service trips.
DONATED DENTISTRY
- Pacific Dental Services served during the 11th annual Smile Generation Serve Day in 2021, where more than 650 of its supported dental practices throughout the U.S. provided over 2,000 patients with more than $4 million of donated dental care. This included life-changing procedures for military veterans and patients working with After Innocence, a nonprofit organization that helps those who have been exonerated from a wrongful conviction. Since its inception in 2011, more than 21,000 patients have received donated dentistry during Smile Generation Serve Day, totaling more than $39 million in oral health care.
- PDS-supported dental practices across the country provide donated dentistry to thousands of patients through special events throughout the year.
DONATED FUNDS
- The PDS Foundation helps patients with disabilities find the care they need through a one-of-a-kind dental office in Phoenix, Arizona dedicated to serving people with special needs. Dentists for Special Needs features specially trained clinicians and team members who are uniquely equipped with behavioral and environmental techniques to ensure a successful visit. The practice also offers a family-friendly, sensory-integrated dental experience that supports patients’ needs within a calm and relaxing environment.
- One of the biggest fundraising efforts for 2021 was the first annual “Smiles for Special Needs” campaign, which raised money to help increase access to care and expand services for those with disabilities or special needs. PDS-supported dental practices raised $225,622 for the PDS Foundation’s special needs dentistry program.
- The PDS Foundation hosted its second annual virtual 5K fundraiser, “Stroll for Special Needs,” which raised over $210,000 for the special needs dentistry program. PDS team members across the country walked more than 2,402 miles to advocate for inclusive oral health care.
VOLUNTEERING
- Volunteers from PDS-supported offices partnered with KABOOM! to build a brand-new playground in one day for the YMCA of West San Gabriel Valley in Alhambra, California. This was the 16th playground that PDS and KABOOM! have built together since 2010.
- Because of its commitment to service, PDS offers team members eight hours of paid time off each year to volunteer with charities and organizations of their choice. In 2021, PDS team members donated 53,584 hours of volunteer time within their local communities.
Kyle Guerin, Director of Corporate Social Responsibility and the PDS Foundation, reflected on the organization’s achievements through service. “We always say that service is at the core of what Pacific Dental Services does, and this year was reflective of that,” he said. “Whether it’s volunteering, providing much-needed dentistry for no cost or serving in other countries, we’re proud to be making a difference in the communities we serve.”
