BRAZOS COUNTY, Texas — When it comes to vaccinations, it’s an all-hands-on-deck effort.
Now, this nationwide effort will be getting a little extra help from some local Aggies.
Students from Texas A&M's College of Dentistry are helping those lacking access to healthcare, all while enhancing their own medical skills.
With the overwhelming demand to vaccinate, these students felt it was just the right thing to do.
On top of dental school, these students are volunteering their time to help the fight against COVID-19.
“In these times with like a lot of frustration, I felt like I needed to help out in some sort of way,” said Soo Oh, a Texas A&M dental student. “Yeah, this volunteer is like a very special memory and experience for us,”
Little did they know while attending dental school, they would gain information beyond the oral cavity.
”It was a really great experience because for four years, I've been only taught what to do in the mouth and now I got to see other aspects from a different point of view,” added Oh.
Clinical Professor Dr. Penelope Drayer says she hopes this will change the future of medicine.
”For them, it’s secondhand nature," said Dr. Penelope Drayer, assistant clinical professor at Texas A&M's College of Dentistry. "Once they get out of dental school, I'm hoping they'll be authorized to help with immunizations,”
Since their training, these local Aggies have been able to administer hundreds of vaccines to those lacking access to healthcare.
“I feel really thankful and lucky that we were able to join in on the fight and helping people that do not have the same access to care. Health inequities are very prominent,” added Dr. Drayer.
Dr. Drayer shared the biggest issue for their clients was a lack of access to the internet to schedule their vaccine and language barriers.
“There were a lot of patients who you know couldn’t communicate and so I can understand that people don’t where they can get this help from,” shared Dr. Drayer.
Students shared they're continuously volunteering their time.
Although they have seen shorter lines recently, individuals receiving their first dose are still trickling in.
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