PDI in the Media & Event Photos

In late 2024, PDI received an urgent referral for a 6-year-old girl in Sonoma County suffering from dental pain. The girl and her father had recently migrated from Honduras, escaping violence and persecution in their native country. They had to leave behind the patient’s mother and brother due to limited resources. The father could not read or write in his native language or in English, making it particularly difficult to navigate a new world. PDI’s bilingual referral team immediately went to work, reaching out to the father, the child’s school, and a community medical clinic to coordinate care. The girl did not have the insurance coverage needed to complete the well child exam we require prior to surgery, so our referral team worked with a local clinic to get the family temporary insurance so she could be seen. Within just a couple of weeks, she had an appointment scheduled at PDI to treat her urgent dental needs. Our staff was so inspired by their story and touched by the father’s gratitude that we decided to come together with presents and gift cards to provide a magical Christmas for the patient and her father. When several staff members arrived at their home bearing gifts, we saw the girl’s “PDI Tooth Fairy Certificate” hanging proudly on her bedroom wall. The big smile on her face (and all the smiles to come!) make everything we do worth it.