Dentistry’s Access to Care Fund receives largest gift to date
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Dr. George Christodoulou is putting smiles on the faces of some of Canada’s most vulnerable through an endowed gift of $500,000 to U of T Dentistry’s Access to Care Fund.
Posted on June 28, 2018
Each year, U of T Dentistry clinics provide reduced-cost dental care for thousands of lower-income and marginalized patients, including seniors and families with children. Nonetheless, the cost is still too high for many patients, especially if they require complex procedures such as root canals, implants or full-mouth reconstruction. The Access to Care Fund provides added financial assistance to those who need it most.
Now, many more patients will receive life-changing help thanks to a gift of $500,000 from Dr. George Christodoulou to the Access to Care Fund.
“George’s gift to Access to Care is historic,” says Dentistry Dean Daniel Haas. “It will enable us to provide life-changing dental care to patients who would not otherwise be able to afford it. With these kinds of procedures, we’re not only providing patients with relief from pain, but also an entirely rejuvenated sense of well-being and outlook on life.”
George Christodoulou (DDS 1985, MBA 2007), who co-founded Altima Dental, one of Canada’s largest primary health care delivery groups, has a long history of Faculty support. The company, which runs a network of dental clinics across Canada, created a naming-rights sponsorship with the Student Services office in 2003. Additionally, Altima Dental was a gold sponsor of the Awards of Distinction Gala from 2012 until its last year in 2017, and supported the previous Faculty of Dentistry golf tournament.
U of T Dentistry students will also benefit from Dr. Christodoulou’s generosity. “When a patient requires a root canal or an implant, DDS students learn how to perform more advanced dental procedures,” says Christodoulou. “And when students see the tremendous good done by the Access to Care program, they see first-hand the importance of giving back to the community.”
With the Access to Care fund currently supporting approximately 60 of the 15,000 patients the Faculty clinics serve each year, Christodoulou hopes his endowed fund will inspire others to support the program: “I’m proud to be part of such an important and inspiring initiative. It’s my hope that others in the profession will also consider giving to Access to Care. The more people we can take care of, the more lives we can change for the better.”
