GSDM volunteers promote oral health to the women of HOCC
On Monday, January 12, members of the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine community volunteered at the Women, Oral Health, HIV Connection event sponsored by Healing Our Community Collaborative (HOCC): Programs for Women, by Women, about Women. Located at Old South Church on Boylston Street, HOCC is non-profit organization for women infected with, affected by, or at risk for HIV/AIDS. Through ongoing HIV health education and prevention programming, HOCC strives to help eliminate health disparities among women without access to optimal health care.
The volunteer event, a collaborative effort between the GSDM Student Chapter of the American Association of Public Health Dentistry (AAPHD) and the Boston Public Health Commission HIV Dental Program, drew over 75 at-risk women from the community. During lunch, Director of the HIV Dental Ombudsperson Program at the Boston Public Health Commission Ms. Helene Bednarsh gave a presentation on oral health and dental screenings that led to a solid discussion. Many of the women in attendance also received screenings from the GSDM volunteers and asked insightful questions.
“The HOCC volunteer event was an awesome opportunity for some of the female members of AAPHD to connect and give back to an incredible set of women who have experienced many of life’s hardships,” said GSDM’s AAPHD President Andrea Lam DMD 16. “Altogether, it was a unique and enriching experience and I can’t wait to return again next year.”
Executive Director of HOCC Heidi Bright reported that the program received great feedback from the women who received dental screenings and attended the presentation. “I want to thank you for making this wonderful program on oral health happen for the women of HOCC,” she said. “It was a great start toward our mission of increasing health and wellness awareness in 2015.”
GSDM faculty and staff volunteers were: Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research Dr. Gladys Carrasco, Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research Ms. Dee Devlin, Oral Health Promotion Director Ms. Kathy Lituri, and Research Dental Assistant Ms. Nekou Nowrouzi.
The student volunteers were: Setu Choksi AS 16, Smriti Singh AS 16, Neemi Lama Sherpa AS 16, Siddhi Mehta AS 16, Manisha Shrestha AS 16, Angela Wu AS 16, Shelby Curtis DMD 16, Andrea Lam DMD 16, Amanda Yip DMD 16, Guanghui Ling AS 16, Jing Guo DMD 17, and Ana Keohane AS 16.