My most meaningful experience during the Seattle King County Clinic was being able to meet the

patients and hearing their stories about why they were there at the clinic. On February 13th and
14th I was interpreting. Helping my Hispanic community is a big passion that I have. Being able to
be the patients form of communication with the doctor was key to help the patients receive the
care that they needed. My first day at SKCC was very busy, there was a lot of Spanish speaking
patients and not enough translators. I chose to stay 3 hours after my shift to help out, so we could
see as many patients possible. My first patient that day was a lady who had been waiting in line
since 5pm on Wednesday. After getting her teeth cleaned, she was very happy. Another patient
that I translated for was a man with his daughter. He was on line since 11pm the day before. The
daughter looked exhausted. My heart broke when the dentist informed us that we were unable to
see children at the clinic and the daughter had to be referred somewhere else. I would never
forget the reaction of a lady after getting her teeth cleaned. She thanked the hygienist so much,
this reminded me of why I chose to be a dental hygienist, and that was to transform smiles.

We’ve learned in community health that denturist can provide care to patients with the proper
training. Denturists can make removable dentures or flippers. At the Seattle King County Clinic
there was an area to get flippers for patients who were missing teeth. I was amazed at how fast
the flippers were being done. Denturists can only legally practice in a few states in the United
States.

After having a tour around the dental, vision, and medical clinic I was amazed of all the
services that were offered. The dental clinic was huge. So far that’s the biggest clinic I’ve ever
seen. I was happy to see how nice everyone was, and the patients were grateful for the
services they were receiving. Even though infection control was not the best, I think that
would be an area where it needs improvement.

It is very important to volunteer at the Seattle King County Clinic because there are hundreds of
patients that need the dental care. If there are more volunteers then the clinic can see more
patients and that’s the goal, since the event is only 4 days per year. As we know dental care is very
expensive and some people cannot afford it. This event is sometimes the only place where people
receive their cleanings and other treatment.