GSDM Lends A Hand At Massachusetts Stand Down
On August 28, 2015, 29 members of the GSDM community volunteered at Massachusetts Stand Down, an all-day event that provides homeless veterans with a variety of services as well as a temporary refuge where they can obtain food, shelter, clothing, and health screenings. The GSDM volunteers promoted oral health at the event by offering oral screenings, denture cleaning and labeling, and one-on-one oral hygiene instruction.
More than 500 homeless veterans typically attend the annual Massachusetts Stand Down event, which is organized by Volunteers of America Massachusetts and the Department of Veterans Affairs. The 2015 Massachusetts Stand Down event took place at the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 103 in Dorchester. This was the fifth consecutive year that the event took place at the IBEW Local 203.
The Massachusetts Stand Down event was one of about 200 Stand Down events taking place across the country in 2015. These events served thousands of veterans and their families.
The GSDM volunteer team consisted of 16 DMD students, 5 AS students, 1 Postdoctoral student, and 7 faculty members. The volunteers offered oral screenings, denture cleaning and labeling, and one-on-one oral hygiene instruction. The GSDM volunteers were at the event from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
“The Massachusetts Stand Down event provided GSDM students and faculty a wonderful opportunity to interact with and assist those who have served our country,” said Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research, and Oral Health Promotion Director Ms. Kathy Lituri. “The GSDM volunteers were able to learn about some of the many issues faced by at-risk and homeless veterans, while providing them with crucial oral health services. The event is a very humbling experience for many of the students.”
The GSDM volunteers interacted with hundreds of veterans during the event and provided oral health screenings to 87.
Some of the other services offered at the Massachusetts Stand Down event included haircuts, clothing, food, eye glasses foot care, legal assistance, employment services, and information related to Department of Veterans Affairs benefits, medical services social work services, and the Internal Revenue Service.
“I am incredibly pleased to see our students volunteer at the Massachusetts Stand Down event,” said Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter. “Giving back to this very important and deserving segment of our community is an important part of our mission and it is truly gratifying to know that our students and faculty our volunteering in such a necessary way.”
Student / Resident volunteers:
Nagma Ahluwalia AS 16; Talal Alshihayb DPH 18; Stephen Brand DMD 19; Han Nah Cho DMD 16; Aditi Doctor AS 16; Grant Gleason DMD 19; Aisha Hakeem DMD 16; Ana Keohane AS 16; Salman Khanani DMD 16; Bart Knowles DMD 19; Andrea Lam DMD 16; Guanghui Ling AS 16; Alexa Moccia DMD 16; Brian Nadeau DMD 19; Alex Nguyen DMD 17; Matthew Orlando DMD 19; Chandini Shaikh DMD 19; Deepak Singh DMD 16; Annetty Soto Geriatric Dental Medicine Fellow 16; Angela Wu AS 16; Stanley Ye DMD 17; Amanda Yip DMD 16; Bowen Zhou DMD 19.
Faculty volunteers:
Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research Ms. Dee Devlin; Director of Global Initiatives, and Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Ms. Kathleen Held; Assistant Dean for Faculty Development, Director of the Center for Clinical Research, Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research, and Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Dr. Judith Jones; Clinical Instructor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research, and Oral Health Promotion Director Ms. Kathy Lituri; Assistant Professor in the Department of Health Policy & Health Services Research Dr. Astha Singhal; Assistant Professor in the Department of General Dentistry Ms. Carolyn Wehler.
Photos from Massachusetts Stand Down event can be found on Facebook and Flickr.