Work funded by Delta Dental Community Care Foundation
March 17, 2021
HARRISBURG, Pa. - The HACC Foundation received grants totaling $109,600 from the Delta Dental Community Care Foundation to provide oral health care services to underserved members of the community who currently lack access to dental care.
 
The funding will be used to renovate and enhance the dental laboratory at HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College. The space will be transformed into a dental simulation laboratory to provide students the opportunity to practice on simulators that resemble live patients.
 
“­­­­­The dental simulation laboratory project was a much-needed enhancement prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Now, in light of the pandemic, this project has become even more critical as it provides a safe option for students to continue to learn in an environment that mimics a modern dental office,” said John J. “Ski” Sygielski, MBA, Ed.D., HACC president and CEO.
 
“Patient and student safety are our top priority, and we believe this project will provide great benefits for future clinicians as well as the community we serve,” Sygielski said.
 
HACC’s Dental Clinic has a $40 flat fee for all services to increase access to care for all patients.

The goal of this project is to continue to improve the education provided to all students and lead them to be better clinicians during their time in the dental programs as well as when they begin their career. The dental simulation laboratory will allow students to gain additional skills prior to providing dental services to the patient community HACC serves.
 
“The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation is committed to supporting dental education and helping the next generation of providers gain the skills they need to serve their communities,” said Kenzie Ferguson, vice president of Foundation and corporate social responsibility for Delta Dental of California.

“We take enormous pride in helping HACC and the HACC Foundation upgrade their labs and equipment to ensure dental students get the best possible training in order to provide the best possible care in Central Pennsylvania or wherever they end up practicing,” Ferguson said.
 
About HACC
HACC, Central Pennsylvania’s Community College, is the first and largest of Pennsylvania’s 15 community colleges. HACC offers approximately 100 career and transfer associate degree, certificate and diploma programs to approximately 17,000 students. Also, the College serves students at its Gettysburg, Harrisburg, Lancaster, Lebanon and York campuses; through virtual learning; and via workforce development and continuing education training. For more information on how HACC is uniquely YOURS, visit hacc.edu. Also, follow us on Twitter (@HACC_info), follow us on Instagram (@HACC_edu), like us on Facebook (Facebook.com/HACC64) and use #HACCNews.
 
About the HACC Foundation
The HACC Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that was established in 1985 to raise private and corporate revenues in support of HACC, Central Pennsylvania's Community College. The HACC Foundation provides funding for student scholarships, innovative academic programs, state-of-the art training equipment and modernized facilities. To learn more about the HACC Foundation, please visit haccfoundation.org. To contribute to the HACC Foundation, please visit hacc.edu/GiveNow

About Delta Dental Community Care Foundation
The Delta Dental Community Care Foundation partners with local communities to increase access to care, support dental education, and fund research that advances the oral health field. Since 2011, the Foundation has awarded more than $60 million across 15 states and the District of Columbia. The Foundation is the philanthropic arm of Delta Dental of California and its affiliated companies, including Delta Dental Insurance Company, Delta Dental of Pennsylvania and Delta Dental of New York, Inc.
 
Please click the links below to share the latest #HACCnews on YOUR social media sites.