March 29th, 2016 by WCBC Radio
At 9:30 a.m. on Thursday, March 31, 2016, Senator Mikulski will be joined by Allegany College of Maryland President Dr. Cynthia Bambara in touring a dental training laboratory to see first-hand the hands-on education that is helping students prepare for jobs in dental health.
Following their tour at approximately 10:00 a.m., Senator Mikulski will announce that the ARC has awarded a $87,000 federal grant to Allegany College to purchase 15 new dental hygiene units which will improve efficiency for students, reduce expensive repair costs, and help maintain hygiene services offered to the public. The new equipment for Allegany College’s dental hygiene program will improve training for approximately 100 students with 4,000 dental hygiene patients within two years.
Allegany College will use these federal funds to expand dental career training programs as well as support the growing need of dental hygienists in Western Maryland communities. This project will provide students instructional and clinical resources.
The local, state and national demand for dental services is expected to expand within the decade and employers in Western Maryland have expressed an immediate need for new dental hygienists. The median pay for qualified dental hygienists in Maryland in 2011 was $76,680, indicating that the field can be lucrative for well-trained professionals. Allegany College offers an Associate's Degree for dental hygienists and approximately 18 students graduate each year and are readily placed in jobs.
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