foundationgift

Foundation Bestows Gifts to Two Academic Institutions

In keeping with its mission to assisting dentists and their staffs to increase and advance their skills and knowledge, the New York
State Dental Foundation has awarded grants to two organizations, Hudson Valley Community College (HVCC) and the State
University of New York at Canton.

The Foundation contributed $5,000 in support of HVCC's dental assisting distance learning and alternative dental assisting
program. According to Dr. Edward Downes, chair, "HVCC's grant proposal addresses the growing shortage of trained
professionals in the dental community of northeastern New York. The school itself has a long and distinguished history of
graduating certified dental assistants and dental hygienists, and currently has the only degree program of this kind in this part of
the state."

In order to satisfy the needs of the dental community, HVCC is developing both a traditional pathway as well as an alternative
pathway to licensure for dental assistants; both paths will lead towards New York State certification in accordance with state law.
The college has one of the most technologically advanced campuses in the State University system, with multi-dimensional
capacities in its distance learning environment. Simply put, Distance Learning means using the Internet and email to access
courses, submit homework assignments, and communicate with the instructor and other students. Distance learning course
materials include videos as well as textbooks, student guides and Internet sites. "What all of this means," explains Foundation
Director Laura Leon, "is that students can work at locations and times that are convenient to them. Although most of the work
can be done from home, some of the courses require labs or other on-campus meetings. A few of the courses may also have
mid-terms or finals on campus."

Recognizing the important need to ensure meaningful clinical experiences for students seeking these degrees, the Dental Assisting
Distance Learning program will take advantage of clinical sites in dental practices across the region served. In doing so, program
administrators and faculty will contract with dentists to effectively supervise the work of the students in their dental offices,
clinics and hospital-based practices as they pursue understanding and proficiency in all tasks which are outlined in the New York
State Certified Dental Assisting Practice Act.

HVCC is also pursuing the development of an alternative course of study in dental assisting (option "b" for licensure eligibility
requirements in New York State) known as the Alternative Dental Assisting Program (ADAP), in recognition of the many
individuals currently practicing as dental assistants who are now required to be licensed in the state. The entrance requirements for
this program are a minimum of a high school diploma or its equivalent, a minimum of 3,500 hours of current work experience as a
dental assistant, CPR certification from the American Heart Association, and proof of current employment by a licensed dentist
who will act as a preceptor for clinical training supervision and verification. This ADAP course of study will be offered through
HVCC's Office of Community and Professional Education. Once enrolled in ADAP, the student will be required to complete 1,000
hours of relevant work experience in a dental setting under the supervision of a licensed dentists. The clinical hours will be
coordinated and monitored by a representative from the college. The ADAP will also require students to participate in 42 hours of
instruction, modified to fit the needs of the experienced, practicing dental assistant, that includes all required course content areas
as prescribed in New York State regulations.

SUNY Canton

The Foundation is contributing $15,000 to SUNY Canton to help in its effort to reestablish a dental hygiene program in central
New York. The shortage of hygienists in upstate and central New York was identified in a study that was conducted by the Fifth
District Dental Society in 2004, which indicated that 31.2 percent of dentists in that region had gone without a hygienist in their
practice over the course of the previous five years. Slightly more than 31 percent reported that they had a waiting list for hygiene
appointments due to the shortage, and 42.1 percent reported that they had lost patients due to the office's inability to offer an
adequate number of hygiene appointments.

Says Dr. Downes, "The Foundation Board was impressed with SUNY Canton's reputation and with the need to bring back a
hygiene program to this area in the wake of the closing of Onondaga Community College." Working with SUNY Canton will be
Mohawk Valley Community College.

SUNY Canton will employ three full-time faculty members who will oversee the hygiene program and teach the dental science
courses the first year. It is anticipated that additional faculty will be hired the second year when both a freshmen and a sophomore
class are in session. MVCC will allow SUNY Canton students and faculty the opportunity to utilize the computer labs, library
resources, lecture rooms, audiovisual equipment, counseling services and health services at its Rome branch. In addition, SUNY
Canton students will have the option of taking some of the lab sciences at MVCC. Canton dental hygiene will also have the option
of taking general education courses online through SUNY Canton or in the traditional classroom at MVCC.

"This program," explains Dr. Downes, "will enable students living in Onondoga, Oneida, Oswego and Herkimer counties to pursue
a degree in dental hygiene without relocating to another geographic area. This is an especially important advantage because dental
hygiene students are often non-traditional students with families who are raising young children and/or are caring for the elders in
their family."

"Another aspect of this proposal," adds Ms. Leon, "that intrigued us, because it fits so well with our diversity outreach efforts, is
that Oneida County has been designated the second largest refugee center in New York State. Many of these refugees participate
in some way in programs such as Early Head Start, Head Start and after school programs, all of which will benefit from SUNY
Canton's presence in the community."

The Foundation's grant will assist SUNY Canton with the construction and redesign of the radiology and clinical areas of the
school, which has already accepted 24 students for the fall of 2006 and is looking into the possibility of accepting a total of 30
students next year.

20 Corporate Woods Blvd.
Suite 602
Albany, New York 12211
ph: 518-465-0044
fax: 518-465-3219
alt: 800-255-2100
nysdf@nysdental.org