Members of Maui’s Micronesian community took part in University of Hawaiʻi Maui College’s second annual Micronesian Dental Hygiene event held on October 12 on the college’s Kahului campus.
“The outreach brings many of the underserved and those without access to care into our clinic to make appointments for free dental hygiene care,” said UH Maui College Dental Hygiene Program Coordinator Leanne Higa. “Dental hygiene students did patient medical and dental histories, oral cancer screenings and made future appointments for 100 patients!”
The students learned the proper steps in oral cancer screening and it was valuable for them to put their training into practice with patients during this hands-on learning activity. Staff from the UH Maui College Campus Health Center were also on hand to provide free flu and COVID-19 vaccinations.
Youlida Yourow from Voices of Micronesia of Maui (VoMOM) said she could not stop thinking about the event because it was so nice to see the connection with the Marshallese community and to build good relationships with all the participating organizations.
“The Micronesian people now see the UH Maui College Dental Hygiene program as people who welcome them and treat them as family.”
— Youlida Yourow
“The Micronesian people now see the UH Maui College Dental Hygiene program as people who welcome them and treat them as family,” Yourow said. “It all starts with the children in the Micronesian community. They need to know the value of oral health and how it is connected to whole body health.”
We Are Oceania (WAO) wants to continue the connection to UH Maui College, to pool resources and keep coming to Maui from Oʻahu to participate in future events because they see the leadership of strong people who dedicate themselves to helping everyone including the Micronesian community.
Yourow is grateful for the service to her community.
“We are so thankful for everything you do for our Micronesian community. We really need the help and it is good to see the students involved,” Yourow said.
A Freeman Grant—dedicated to strengthening the bonds of friendship between the U.S. and the Oceanian realm—funded the distribution of fresh produce, jars of jams and jellies, and free cell phones for participants.
The event was supported by the UH Maui College Campus Health Center, Dental Hygiene Program students, as well as volunteers from the Dental Hygiene Program faculty, VoMOM, Maui Economic Opportunity, Roots Reborn, WAO, oral cancer trainer Susan Cotten from Colorado and many local churches.
