On June 19th, People’s celebrated the opening of its dental services. Thanks to the generous donation of a fully-equipped van by St. David’s Foundation, People’s was able to add “dental care” to its long list of services for the medically underserved and uninsured. Whether a patient needs cleanings, x-rays, fillings, prosthetics or root canal, our team is ready to serve.
The dental team is led by our new Director of Dental Services Dr. Carlos Diaz, DDS, RGDT. Dr. Diaz comes to us with over 15 years’ experience working at dental clinics and community health centers in Texas, New York, and El Salvador. He is a graduate of the University of Texas at San Antonio’s International Dentist Program and recently relocated to Austin. He is joined by Nancy Lozoria, Dental Services Manager, and Dental Assistants, Gretchen Green and Dulce Sanchez. Together they work to put patients at ease and strive to see them leave their appointment smiling and happy.
The program officially opened its doors on May 15th and, in only a month, has already treated 50 patients. Currently the program is serving uninsured adults with chronic disease (e.g. diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, depression, and anxiety).
At the ribbon cutting ceremony Dr. Diaz reflected:
“Dental care is often seen as a luxury because of cost and other barriers are too much for many people. But dentistry is not a luxury, it is a necessity….that’s why I’m so happy that this program will offer full-service dental care to patients regardless of their ability to pay.”