From left, dental hygiene students Sarah Young, Trista Johnson and Andrea Diaz offer advice on how to keep teeth and gums healthy during Springfield Community Day at the NVCC Medical Campus on Saturday, April 18.
Northern Virginia Community College students got a chance to showcase their knowledge about health and fitness during Springfield Community Day held at the NVCC Medical Campus on Saturday, April 18.
Sarah Young and her classmates Trista Johnson and Andrea Diaz, dispensed information about the importance of dental hygiene and urged everyone to visit the dentist every six months. “Toothbrushing can’t reach everywhere. A lot of dental issues you don’t feel or you don’t have pain until it’s too late and you lose that tooth,” said Young.
Also set up during the event is an exercise field with equipment such as Bozu balls. Strength and conditioning coach James Livingston, of One Step Beyond Fitness, said that one should always find time to exercise. He said long work hours should not be an excuse to not exercise. “There are some workouts that only take 15 minutes…It’s about finding time for yourself,” he said.
Registered dietitian Janet Sass, who teaches nutrition and food science, prepared healthy and delicious foods to show how to choose foods and prepare them. “Hummus, coupled with a chip or pita, it’s a complete protein,” she said.
She also said that healthy eating and food preparation does not have to be expensive. “$0.77 for a can of corn and $0.77 for a can of black beans, a few radishes and some helping of peppers. You can eat inexpensive but you have to have knowledge to put all those together,” she said.
NVCC Medical Camps offers classes in dental hygiene, radiography, medical lab technology and phlebotomy, nursing, physical therapy and more. With the increase in the use of technology and the influx of patients from different backgrounds, NVCC’s Michelle Chaudoir said that students are trained both in the technology and the diversity of patients. “They get a lot of preparation on how to handle [these] at NOVA medical campus.”