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VPCC: dental hygiene program remains on hold after operating losses
Summary
Councilwoman Harper urged VPCC to reinstate its dental hygiene program; VPCC officials said the program operated at approximately a $600,000 annual loss for small cohorts and remains on hold pending sustainable funding or state support.
Councilwoman Harper asked VPCC to consider restoring a dental hygiene program she said is sorely needed in Virginia. "I would love for you all to very much consider bringing that back because it's very much needed, particularly in the state of Virginia," Harper said, adding that the state faces a shortage of hygienists.
Steve Carpenter, VPCC's vice president for finance and administration, said the college previously ran the program for about 10–12 years but suspended it because it lost nearly $600,000 a year. "We were running a program for 20 students ... and we were losing, nearly $600,000 a year in that program," Carpenter said, citing accreditation-required staffing ratios and the need for an on-site dentist that made the program costly to operate for small cohorts.
Carpenter said VPCC has pursued partners, including Delta Dental and state legislators, to find assistance but that the General Assembly has not provided ongoing support. He said one-time funding could help in a transition year but would not sustain the program long-term. "We have potential this year for some one-time funding, to offset costs, but we really can't open the program with one-time funding," Carpenter said.
College officials said they will keep discussing partnerships and funding approaches but that a decision to reinstate would depend on reliable recurring support or a program redesign to reduce operating losses.
