Weave Launches Healthcare Heroes Program to Recognize Community Contributions

Weave has announced the launch of Healthcare Heroes, a new grant program to honor healthcare practitioners making significant community contributions. This initiative aims to support local healthcare practices that go the extra mile as they serve their communities, per a press release from Weave.

The program's first grant recipient, who has been awarded $5000, is Sonya Dunbar, MPH, RDH, also known as the Geriatric Toothfairy. Dunbar, a dental hygienist, speaker, author, and entrepreneur, is being recognized for providing essential oral health care to senior citizens and military veterans in long-term care facilities around Jacksonville, Florida, and southeast Georgia. With over 30 years of experience, she co-owns Mobile Dental Xpress, a company she founded to address the lack of dental services for these underserved populations.

"Sonya's commitment and dedication to her community is truly inspiring, and we’re thrilled to recognize her as Weave’s first Healthcare Hero,” said Chris Baird, Chief Marketing Officer at Weave, in the press release. "It’s remarkable how one healthcare provider can profoundly impact their community by identifying a gap in care and inspire industry-wide innovation in caring for local, underserved populations.”

Dunbar expressed her gratitude in the press release.

"I am truly honored and humbled to be named Weave’s first Healthcare Hero," said Dunbar. "As the Geriatric Toothfairy, I have the privilege of restoring dignity and confidence to marginalized communities whose oral health has been ignored for extended lengths of time. Many individuals I serve haven’t had their teeth brushed or cared for in months. My purpose is to be the voice for those whose voices have become a whisper, and I am immensely grateful to be able to make a lasting impact in these individuals’ lives–one smile at a time.”

For more information on Dunbar's fundraising efforts and mission, visit the website here.

Those interested can also check out Sonya’s discussion on elder oral health care with the Sanders sisters here on Floss & Flip Flops.