Dental Hygiene Program Granted Initial Accreditation

September 7, 2005 Logan, WV - The Dental Hygiene program at Southern West Virginia Community and Technical College has been granted "initial accreditation'' status by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, according to Pamela L. Alderman, Administrative Vice President/Dean of Allied Health. Accreditation is a formal, non-governmental process that establishes a minimum set of national standards that promote and assure quality in educational institutions and programs and serves as a mechanism to protect the public.

This is the first year for the Dental Hygiene program at Southern. The Dental Hygiene program was developed based on a need identified by local dentists. An advisory board, comprised of dentists, dental hygienists and college personnel worked together to develop curricula. Advisory members and members of the dental community, provided donations of funds and equipment to help establish the program. Dr. Lisa Haddox-Heston is the Dental Hygiene Program Coordinator and Andrea Brown is an instructor for the Dental Hygiene program."

This is great news for the program and Southern" states Mrs. Alderman. "Dr. Haddox-Heston is to be commended for achieving this goal prior to the beginning of the fall semester."The Commission on Dental Accreditation serves the public by establishing, maintaining and applying standards that ensure the quality and continuous improvement of dental and dental-related education and reflect the evolving practice of dentistry.

The scope of the Commission on Dental Accreditation encompasses dental, advanced dental, and allied dental education programs. The accreditation standards have been developed to protect the public welfare, serve as a guide for dental hygiene program development, serve as a stimulus for the improvement of established programs, and provide criteria for the evaluation of new and established programs.The accreditation standards address many areas, such as institutional effectiveness, student admissions, curriculum management and content, faculty, facilities, and health and safety provisions. The accreditation was granted following a formal site visit held in April 2005.