PDS Health, a leading integrated healthcare support organization, joins Stephen E. Thorne IV, its Founder and CEO, in recognizing the completion of the first year of studies for students at the Pacific Health Care Collaborative. The center was designed to integrate dental and medical care while serving as a training ground for future healthcare professionals.
Led by University of the Pacific’s Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry in collaboration with the university’s School of Health Sciences and Thomas J. Long School of Pharmacy, the collaborative will serve thousands of people throughout the greater Sacramento region once it is fully operational.
The 30,000-square-foot facility was made possible through a $4 million lead gift from Thorne and his wife, Pamela. The Thorne family shares a long-standing relationship with the university. Thorne’s father and two brothers are alumni of the Dugoni School of Dentistry, and their gift reflects a continued commitment to advancing oral health and dental-medical integrated care.
The clinic began screening for patients in late 2024 and seeing dental patients in January 2025. Medical care started for Pacific students in May and will continue to expand operations throughout the year.
“This center represents the future of health care,” said Thorne. “University of the Pacific is shaping a new generation of clinicians who understand that oral health is health, and that collaboration across disciplines is essential to improving patient outcomes. The Pacific Health Care Collaborative proves that dental-medical integration is not a distant goal. It is happening now and already making a meaningful difference in people’s lives.”
While the initiative is referred to broadly as the Pacific Health Care Collaborative—which includes the integrated approach, educational components, and a mobile clinic—the clinical services area within the facility is officially named the PDS Health Care Collaborative. This is the name that appears on clinic signage and refers specifically to the spaces where dental and medical care are delivered. The distinction recognizes the Thorne family’s lead gift and their commitment to advancing dental-medical integration.
The PDS Health Care Collaborative includes eight medical exam rooms, two medical procedure rooms, 30 dental operatories, an ambulatory surgery center with two operating rooms, and four sensory-flexible procedure rooms designed to accommodate patients with intellectual, developmental, and acquired disabilities. A dedicated sensory waiting area further supports inclusive care delivery and ensures a more comfortable experience for patients with specialized needs.
In addition to the facility, a mobile health clinic equipped with three treatment and exam rooms for dentistry and primary medical care will extend services into the broader Sacramento community.
Twenty-nine International Dental Studies students recently completed the first year of a two-year interdisciplinary academic and clinical training program.
“These are exciting times as we wrap up the inaugural year of the expansion of our International Dental Studies program in Sacramento,” said Kim Benton, DDS, Director of the Pacific Health Care Collaborative and Sacramento Programs at the Dugoni School. “We are grateful to PDS Health for investing in the future of interprofessional healthcare education. We look forward to expanding our collaborative academic approach as we serve the community in Oak Park with wrap-around oral health, medical, and behavioral health services.”
The Pacific Health Care Collaborative serves as a blueprint for how academic institutions, clinical providers, and forward-thinking partners like PDS Health can work together to build a more connected and patient-centered future for health care.
About PDS Health
PDS Health continues the journey started by Pacific Dental Services® in 1994, with a vision to redefine health care through the integration of dental and medical services. Its approach, centered on the connection between oral health and overall health, aims to create healthier, happier patients and set new benchmarks in the healthcare industry. As a leading provider of integrated healthcare support, the company delivers a broad spectrum of services to dental, dental specialties, and medical providers, enhancing operations and care delivery for clinicians across the U.S. For more information about PDS Health and its vision, visit pdshealth.com.
About the Pacific Health Care Collaborative at University of the Pacific
The Pacific Health Care Collaborative is redefining health care. Capitalizing on the strength of University of the Pacific’s three health professional schools, the groundbreaking initiative will combine dental and medical services in a teaching and learning environment—the first of its kind at a U.S. university. The collaborative is dedicated to educating the next generation of health care professionals and spearheading research efforts that advance value-based care. The 30,000-square-foot facility is located on Pacific’s Sacramento Campus in the historic Oak Park neighborhood.
