Megan’s outreach at Ozanam House

“Working at Ozanam House is a really positive experience,” says Dental Assistant Megan Hook, who recently celebrated her one-year anniversary working at the centre in North Melbourne.

Ozanam House provides Victorians experiencing homelessness with access to safe and secure accommodation. And more than that, it ensures its clients are treated with the dignity and respect they deserve.

Oral Health Victoria runs the dental clinic based at Ozanam House, which operates Victoria’s only homelessness-specific dentistry chair.

Megan, who is currently studying her Certificate 4 in Oral Health Promotion, is based in RDHM’s Dental Teaching Clinic. She travels over to the Flemington Road centre each Tuesday.

“Ozanam House is a really nice environment. I didn’t know what to expect initially with the dental clinic, but I was very pleasantly surprised.”

The centre’s homelessness recovery model encapsulates integrated care by pairing wraparound support services with flexible accommodation options.

Ozanam House successfully bridges the gap in care by removing the need for clients to visit disparate clinics for various health requirements. Instead, patients receive crucial treatment including medical, psychological, optical, and dental – all in one place.

Founded in 1953, Ozanam House underwent a $48 million upgrade in 2019. The centre now provides 134 accommodation rooms.

“There’s a big living area behind the building, and many of the patients come from there. Some stay long-term, whereas others are there for a short stop and the team finds more permanent accommodation for them. Clients have case workers that support them, as well as access to employment pathways,” said Megan.

Megan is a key figure in the small but mighty dental team working at Ozanam House. She shares the role with Dental Assistant Romana Langova, who holds down the fort on Thursdays.

“There’s a great team at Ozanam – just one dentist and one dental assistant, so it’s more of a traditional role and mirrors the structure I was accustomed to in private practice.”

Many of the patients at Ozanam House have a range of especially complex needs.

“It’s challenging to see someone who clearly needs a certain amount of treatment as it can be tough to get them to return. Many are dealing with a lot in their personal lives, so you can imagine that dental treatment isn’t their top priority over issues like safe and accessible housing.

“But seeing a patient come back and actually finish the treatment that they desperately needed is an amazing feeling. It’s so good to see when they’re all done and the pride that they feel,” said Megan.

Megan has seen firsthand the detrimental impact that homelessness can have on a patient’s oral health and their self-esteem.

“Many patients at Ozanam House are worried about judgement and can be reluctant to receive treatment or say things like ‘Please don’t judge me’. We let them know we’re there to treat them, never to judge them. Of course, we can empathise with why they feel that way but always do our best to assuage their fears.

“Some patient’s teeth aren’t in the best shape, but they really want to improve or do the best they can with the teeth they’ve got now. Some might be withdrawing from drugs or have serious health conditions, so it’s positive to be able to offer them treatment to improve their health.”

One of the keys to the success of Ozanam House is that by shortening the intervention time between treatments and removing barriers to patients receiving care, the centre contributes to the reduction of adverse health outcomes.

“Patients will often delay getting treatment due to fear or their personal circumstances. They don’t realise that the more you delay, the worse it is. Having access to the clinic helps to reduce that.”

Megan loves her team, but it’s the patients that keep her coming back each week.

“They are incredible patients. They’re so kind. And very grateful and thankful for the help we provide. I had one patient who gave us a blessing. I’m not a religious person, but it was incredibly moving because it clearly meant so much to her.

“We had another patient who tried to give us chickens as a gift and wanted to bring them to her next appointment. It was her way of expressing her appreciation – she wanted to give us something that she really values, which was unbelievably sweet.”

“I feel lucky to work with such great patients every week,” said Megan.