Health for Haiti with SUNY Broome Community College – Children Win!

Health for Haiti is SUNY Broome Community College’s faculty led and accredited global service learning course.   Haiti is one of the most improvrished countries on the planet and StarSmilez is proud to be a founding sponsor of their program which launched in January 2014.  This award winning program provides humanitarian assistance to the chidren and families in Haiti while giving college students to opportunity to experience the joy of giving to those in need while earning their degree.  During the trip students are introduced to the relationships between poverty, education, and health care through participation key health initiatives addressing critical community needs.

Pictures really can be worth a thousand words, so below are some awesome images to brighten your day.

SUNY Broome Community College Dental Hygiene Program

Making a difference in Haiti

Students and professors had a fabulous time while making a difference in Haitian lives. The relationships they built and people served are sure to shape them in an incredible way.

The children enthusiastically soaked up all the attention that was shared with them and although this was a tremendous effort, the rewards were priceless.

More than 1,500 avid listeners were in the crowd and close to 300 patients were triaged during their program. Looks like he has their attention.

Patients received hands on one-on-one interactions and training that will impact the quality of their lives for decades to come.

And while everyone got their turn, the student’s lively demeanor kept everyone fully engaged.  We are honored to be involved in SUNY Broome’s remarkable program and with the amazing people that delivered the care and guidance.

Are you part of an health charity focused on oral health?  Tell us about yourself and your program here  and StarSmilez might be part of your program in the future.

Read on below for the rest of the story and go to Suny Broome’s blog to see more inspiring photos.

More About http://https://healthforhaiti.org/This Program and SUNY Broome Community College

This year was a shining success for SUNY Broome Community College as the the program has been building momentum for a number of years.  Maureen Hanken, Chairperson of the SUNY Broome Community College Dental Hygiene Department started Health for Haiti in 2011, then co-developed the program and curriculum with Biology Professor Dr. Jennifer Musa the following year. In 2014 the course became a four year college credit course that has had a waiting list of students that are eager to participate since year one.

Clinics are run in Grand Saline Haiti which includes services delivered in two Hatian orphanages where every child is given a toothbrush, toothpaste, and tutorials with StarSmilez products. About 300 fluoride varnishes were applied and many oral health supplies were given to teachers and staff during their training and triage sessions this year.  It was a recording breaking year in terms of patient volumes treated. The staff put out the extra effort to treat the maximum number of patients possible after seeing the great need of the community.

Of course the healthcare needs of these communities in Haiti is clearly well beyond just oral care. Medical clinic stations were organized to include patient triage, collection of vital signs, height and weight, pharmacy, and vision stations.  Patient age was not a screenning criteria as the clinics treated everyone in need including pediatric to geriatric age groups.

We can’t say enough about these bright and caring people who played the mission critical role of executing services on the ground. They offered kindness and medical assistance to as many patients as they could squeeze into each day.

StarSmilez is extremely fortunate to be a part of their effort and we look forward to participating next year!   Visit Health for Haiti  for more information on this program.

Are you part of an health charity focused on oral health?  Tell us about yourself and your program here  and StarSmilez might be part of your program in the future.

Things you should know about Haiti

We go through our day taking so much for granted and its truly hard to grasp the extent of the health problems many people face every day including the lack of clean water, basic healthcare, and adequate nutrition.  Haiti is the poorest country in the world with a poverty rate of 77 percent and an estimated 380,000 orphans living in the streets prior to the earthquate in 2010.  Add to that about 250,000 resteaveks, or children working as servants and often treated as slaves, and you begin to grasp the magnitude of the problems the people of Haiti face each day.