{"id":52407,"date":"2025-10-01T18:18:39","date_gmt":"2025-10-01T23:18:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/?p=52407"},"modified":"2025-10-02T15:57:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-02T20:57:49","slug":"acc-celebrates-dental-hygiene-facility-expansion-with-ribbon-cutting","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sites.austincc.edu\/newsroom\/2025\/10\/01\/acc-celebrates-dental-hygiene-facility-expansion-with-ribbon-cutting\/","title":{"rendered":"ACC Celebrates Dental Hygiene Facility Expansion With Ribbon Cutting"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Austin Community College District (ACC) marked Dental Hygiene Month with a ribbon-cutting at its newly renovated and expanded Dental Hygiene training facilities and clinic at Eastview Campus. The event, held Wednesday, October 1, 2025, celebrated the completion of the first project of the 2022 General Obligation (G.O.) Bond Program.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis project came directly from our community\u2019s voice. People came to board meetings and told us what they needed, and these bond projects are our response. They\u2019re shaped by data and designed around the needs of our employers and our students,\u201d said ACC Chancellor Dr. Russell Lowery-Hart. \u201cThis is what happens when a community invests in its community college, and why these projects are so critical to building the workforce our region needs.\u201d<\/p>\n

The expansion and renovation double the number of dental operatories, strengthen hands-on training opportunities, and expand preventive care services for the community. By expanding facilities, ACC will be able to admit more students into its nationally recognized program while offering more families in Central Texas access to care.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe investments we\u2019re making in the community give me great confidence that we\u2019ll see a strong return,\u201d said Sean Hassan, ACC Board of Trustees Chair. \u201cOur students go out, earn money, and pay taxes back into the system, while also filling critical gaps in areas like health care. We\u2019ve been studying the data closely and forecasting community needs in partnership with the city, chamber, and other organizations. We\u2019re looking at what Central Texas will need and the wages in those fields, and we\u2019re making investments in programs that are in demand and needed across our district, from north to south.\u201d<\/p>\n

The new spaces increase the number of operatories from 16 to 32, while adding a materials lab, sterilization room, X-ray room, and other support areas. In total, the project renovated more than 13,800 square feet of space, including updates to classrooms and offices. <\/p>\n

\u201cI drove back and forth from Houston to Austin to talk about this need because it was so important. I actually went through Capital Idea, and they poured so much into me and into the things I sacrificed to become a dental hygienist,\u201d said Laticia Levi-Monroe, ACC Dental Hygiene Graduate. \u201cI felt obligated to do anything and everything possible to help that dream become a reality for someone else\u2014someone who tried three times, three years in a row, to get into the program. Someone who had to apply to other schools to see if they could get in. Knowing someone was that dedicated to me, I felt it was my duty to do the same.\u201d<\/p>\n

These investments directly support the growing demand for dental hygienists. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in the field to grow by nearly 9% nationwide, with Central Texas expecting an 18% increase in demand over the next decade.<\/p>\n

Dental hygiene students gain their clinical experience in ACC\u2019s on-site dental clinic, which provides low-cost preventive services to the public. Patients benefit from the latest dental technologies, including digital X-rays, intraoral cameras, scanners, dental lasers, and fully integrated electronic health records. <\/p>\n

\u201cAll of the clinical training our students receive is on-site. We see real patients from the public who come into our clinic, and we provide very high-quality care. By having this full service, we can support our students, the workforce, and our community,\u201d said Michelle Landrum, ACC Dental Hygiene Department Chair. \u201cIt\u2019s been great because even with twice the number of students, we also doubled the number of faculty. So our students still get the same 1-on-1 instruction and level of care as before.\u201d<\/p>\n

Data show students who enroll in the College\u2019s program rank among the top in our state in nation. Both the 2024 and 2025 graduating class from ACC\u2019s Dental Hygiene program celebrating major successes, including:<\/p>\n