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Expanding in Nevada and Beyond
Expanding in Nevada and Beyond AAVD CEO Deme Gonzalez set an ambitious goal to help 200 Veterans access lifesaving, life-transforming dental care in 2024. On June 17, 2024, they met this goal for the state fiscal year. AAVD is using this momentum to transform Nevada’s Veteran healthcare infrastructure and serve 300 patients in 2025.
“AAVD has enabled Nevada to care for Veterans in a way no other state or territory has. When I set out to help Veterans in 2010, I did not understand the magnitude of the dental neglect in that community. Veterans were living in unbearable pain. Something had to be done,” AAVD Founder Linda Haigh said.
In the 2024 legislative session, Governor Joe Lombardo added AAVD to his budget, securing state support for a number of the organization’s costs. This solidified Nevada’s recognition of AAVD as an integral part of the state’s Veterans services apparatus. Funding has allowed AAVD to expand operations exponentially, and the organization will be opening a new office in spring 2025.
“We’re in the process of starting what will become a national Veteran dental care franchise.”
— AAVD Board Member Dr. Matthew Thacker, DMD
“We’re in the process of starting what will become a national Veteran dental care franchise. The Northern Nevada clinic will be a training facility for these programs so we can share our knowledge with representatives from other states. Eventually, AAVD will be a national organization that not only treats Veterans, but advocates for them,” AAVD Board Member Dr. Matthew Thacker, DMD, said.
AAVD’s 10,288 square-foot space, located at 1885 South Arlington Avenue in Reno, will house operatories, offices and meeting rooms. The organization will rent the remaining space to other organizations and businesses. To staff the clinic, AAVD is pursuing a partnership with the New York University (NYU) Langone Health Postdoctoral Advanced Education in General Dentistry (AEGD) residency program. This way, dentists can work at AAVD under the mentorship of an experienced doctor and earn a stipend through the AEGD program.
“Residents want to learn advanced skills — they want to do surgery; they want to do prosthetics. And that’s what our patient pool is: Veterans missing teeth in need of those skills. This partnership will be very attractive to new dentists,” Dr. Thacker said.
The AAVD team will be well-equipped to serve emergency and other critical cases in the clinic, helping to relieve the burden currently on pro bono community dentists. This will, in turn, reduce the waitlist and wait time for Veterans accessing free care.
Now, Gonzalez has set his sights on a national expansion. “What we have created here in Nevada can change how Veterans across the United States receive critical and lifesaving dental care. It would be unimaginable not to share this program,” Gonzalez said.
A Letter from the CEO
At the last legislative session, I informed state representatives that the Adopt A Vet Dental Program (AAVD) would provide 200 low-income Veterans with pro bono critical, life-transforming dental care in the coming year. That was an ambitious goal, and I committed our team to doubling the patients we see annually. Our team and supporters rose to this challenge: we served our 200th Veteran on June 17, 2024. But we’re not stopping here. I have challenged my team and our supporters with providing emergency and full mouth restorative care to 300 Veterans in 2025. To make this happen, we are moving to a new location that will enable us to schedule more appointments for Veterans in need.
We also added a new board member to our team: Dr. Matthew Thacker, DMD. Dr. Thacker served in the U.S. Navy as a Fleet Marine Force dental officer in 29 Palms, California. He attended the University of Nevada, Las Vegas School of Dental Medicine and received his Doctorate in Dental Medicine (DMD) in 2018. AAVD is blessed to have him as a board member. As we continue to grow in Nevada, I’ve begun to set my sights on a national expansion. This gap in VA healthcare is too big to ignore, and too many Veterans are suffering. Nothing that we do would be possible without the amazing team of supporters, providers and staff that have partnered with us to save the lives of our nation’s heroes. Thank you all for your service and advocacy.
Respectfully,
Deme Gonzalez, Chief Executive Officer
