“Our students realize
“Our students realize the benefits of volunteering and being involved in the community, and they see the difference they can make in a person’s life.” > CYNTHIA EVETTS, DIRECTOR OF THE SCHOOL OF OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY strategies for activities of daily living, fall-prevention methods and home-safety practices as part of the Cultivating Healthy Habits program at Brother Bill’s. “The students are patient and professional,” says Greer. “They’re diligent about reviewing the exercises with us until we understand them. I’m so thankful TWU students help us live safely in our homes, allowing us to remain independent.” In the School of Physical Therapy, students and faculty are improving local accessibility to public resources. Faculty member Luciano Garcia and his students have worked with the Houston Parks and Recreation Department’s Adaptive Sports and Recreation section (HARC) to increase resource awareness. HARC offers youth and adult adaptive and wheelchair sports, an accessible fitness center and adolescent bariatric surgery support, among other resources. “HARC is the only resource of its kind in the region. TWU students are helping spread the word, and they’re providing on-site instruction to community members,” says Garcia. TRANSFORMATIONAL THERAPIES The Department of Communication Sciences and Oral Health is likewise dedicated to providing “life-changing care to community members,” as department chair Cynthia Gill-Sams describes. The department’s speechlanguage pathology students and faculty evaluate and treat a range of communication and swallowing disorders in adults and children in two departmental clinics: the Speech- Language-Hearing Clinic on the Denton campus and the Stroke Center on the Dallas campus. Since beginning therapy at TWU’s Stroke Center early this year, JD Cantu has made remarkable progress. Cantu, 33, has apraxia and aphasia — speech and language disorders impairing his ability to communicate — caused by a 2019 stroke. Since beginning three-hour sessions with TWU speech-language pathology students three times a week, the former sports manager can now string sentences together. He realizes how lucky he is to have received medical treatment. “TWU offers specialized, comprehensive health care. I am so grateful to have found this university clinic serving my community,” he says. Cantu’s experience encapsulates what the college’s clinics and community programs can achieve. “We are always working to find solutions to the communication problems our clients are faced with day in and day out,” says Gill-Sams. SERVING THE UNDERSERVED “Our community clinics have a major local impact,” according to Charlene Dickinson, head of the dental hygiene program, housed in the Department of Communication Sciences and Oral Health on the Denton campus. “We have a dental hygiene program with a strong emphasis on interprofessional education and community impact,” she says. “We are graduating professional dental hygienists who are trained alongside fellow allied health professionals and who are instrumental in maintaining the highest standards of oral health care practice.” Dental hygiene students serve patients of all ages who otherwise would not receive dental care. They complete clinical rotations in Dallas and Denton at the Texas Scottish Rite Hospital, Children’s Medical Center and Denton State Supported Living Center, a residential home for people with cognitive and developmental disabilities. At Oak Point Elementary, as many as 50 children, some of whom have experienced homelessness, attend TWU’s Denton campus clinic during special Saturday events. “Kids who don’t have insurance get the dental attention and education they need,” says the Head Start school’s family facilitator Yamile Quintero. “It’s an amazing resource with fantastic students and faculty.” Dental hygiene patients aren’t just served by off-campus clinics. The department’s Denton campus clinic will expand to over 21,000 square feet this fall, and its grand opening will coincide with the program’s 50th anniversary celebration. Dental hygiene students are motivated by their core values, as are all students in the College of Health Sciences. “They go into their fields prepared and passionate,” according to Dickinson, who also commends the incredible dedication of the faculty. In her words, “We all do it because we love caring for our students and our communities.” 4 TEXAS WOMAN’S
“This year 450 students in Head Start programs received pots, soil and seeds to grow tomatoes, beans, beets and carrots. The children were so excited.” > LEYLA SOLEYMANI, A DIRECTOR AT THE MID- CITIES CHILD DEVELOPMENT CENTER IN DENTON “I’m so thankful TWU students help us live safely in our homes, allowing us to remain independent.” > JULIETTE GREER, OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY CLIENT “Kids who don’t have insurance get the dental attention and education they need. It’s an amazing resource with fantastic students and faculty.” > YAMILE QUINTERO, HEAD START SCHOOL’S FAMILY FACILITATOR TEXAS WOMAN’S 5
