A third-year university student will spend her career working with refugees and indigenous populations after a “life-changing” oral health program helping refugees settle into Wagga.
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CSU’s Victoria Holahan has been involved with the program since March, with students completing health assessments on refugee patients in desperate need of dental care.
“It’s been such a benefit to help people who have had a tough life and need support,” Ms Holahan said.
“I’ve always worked in the private sector but now I’m very interested in the public system.”
Ms Holahan said the biggest challenge of the program was the language barrier.
“It can be very difficult to establish their pain levels and sensitivities,” Ms Holahan said.
Fellow student Liya Johny said the experience was eye-opening, hearing “heartbreaking” stories from the refugees.
“I have huge empathy toward the patients who need access to free treatment,” Ms Johny said.
“The important thing is to keep educating refugees about good oral health.”
The program has serviced more than 150 refugee patients since its November launch.
Wagga Health Service dental therapist Margaret Selvey said she hoped the pilot program would continue, with its future to be determined by the level of demand.
