BCC Heroes of the Flood
Dental Hygiene Students
A group of Broome Community College students used their medical skills to make a difference in the lives of some of the most needy flood victims. Six students from BCC’s Dental Hygiene Club volunteered at the Binghamton University Events Center where about 2,000 people, many with special needs, were evacuated.
“The group they helped were people with special medical needs who had nowhere else to go. Many of them had nobody, not even family to take them in,” said Maureen Hankin, Dental Hygiene club advisor and the chairperson of the Dental Hygiene Department. “My students organized all the oral health supplies – no one else really understood about dentures and dental cleaning like they did,” she said.
Brenda Peterson agreed that the education she’s receiving in the dental hygiene program was applicable. “We learn a lot about what precautions and steps to take when you’re doing certain things like taking someone to the bathroom,” said Brenda Peterson. “Wheelchair transfers, aseptic technique (making sure you don’t contaminate things) are things we’ve also learned in our clinic and skills we used there,” the 23-year old said.
But medical know-how aside, the students realized they were also needed as compassionate listeners.
“Many of the people there just wanted to tell their stories,” said Veronica Macek.
A lot of people just wanted to talk to relieve stress and anxiety, so that’s what we did,” said 19-year-old Casie Dixon.
Amanda Ii was “shocked” when she got there. “You can’t really prepare yourself for all those people sitting there, upset and devastated. It really got to me.”
“I’ll never forget a single person I met there,” Lisa Calhoun said. This one lady told me her brother had recently passed away and she lost all the photos of him in the flood and so she had nothing left of him. There was another gentleman who, when I asked him if he wanted to talk, said: ‘Why does this have to happen to people?’”
All six students were fortunate enough to escape flood damage in their personal lives and said devoting time at the shelter on Binghamton University’s campus was their way of giving back to the community. “As health care professionals, the number one thing we want to do is help people in any way we can,” said Dixon.
“I was just so proud of them,” said Hankin. “I just love them for being there.”
