A large crowd braved the rain on Wednesday afternoon, Aug. 21, to celebrate the brand-new dental hygiene program facility and degree program at the Vail Valley campus of Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley in Edwards. Colorado currently has a shortage of dental hygienists, particularly on the Western Slope.
Colorado Mountain College is the fifth dental hygiene program in the state and the first and only dental hygiene program between the Front Range and Rangely. “This space and this new program will help fill a critical gap in the health care arena within our rural communities,” said Marc Brennan, vice president and campus dean of Colorado Mountain College Vail Valley . “The investment in this clinic and this program demonstrates CMC’s ongoing commitment to addressing workforce needs and designing degrees that provide our graduates with a livable wage.
” Initial discussions about offering a dental hygiene degree at Colorado Mountain College began over six years ago, Brennan said. Laura Jacob, the director of the dental hygiene program, led the crowd through the journey of the program over the last several years. “I don’t get nervous, but I do get emotional,” Jacob said at the start of her speech, as attendees grabbed umbrellas to protect themselves from the incoming rain.
The facility that now houses Colorado Mountain College’s oral health clinic was once a fire bay that housed three fire engines and firefighting equipment. In February 2021, Colorado Mounta.