Collaboration is Key for RSDM Students at City Health Center

RSDM students are serving more Newarkers in need of dental care, thanks to nearly $2 million in federal funding awarded last year. At Rutgers Community Health Center in downtown Newark, dental students work with nursing students, medical students, social work students, and others, screening patients and teaching them about healthy teeth and gums.

This is the first year the clinic, founded in 2012 and run by the School of Nursing, has worked with RSDM as part of a formal program.“They knew there was a tremendous need for oral health care education,” says Senior Associate Dean for Academic Affairs Kim E. Fenesy, the principal investigator of the grant. “It was so pointedly lacking. Before, if their patients had dental needs, they didn’t know what to do. We’ve established a relationship with them so that now they realize we’re a primary source of referral for their patients.’’

Not only are patients benefiting from the program, funded by the U.S. Health Resources and Service Administration, but students from all disciplines are learning about the importance of interprofessional teamwork.

“I’ve gotten feedback form other students in the program where they say, ‘I had no idea that’s what dentists do.’ Students from other health professions now know the importance of dentistry to the overall health of a patient,’’ Fenesy said.

Third-year student Andrea Kohanchi appreciates the chance to learn about the health needs of city residents and help them get proper treatment. “We’re hoping that more people who need dental care can get it,” she says.