BRIMLEY, MI (MPRN)— An agreement between community colleges could bring about more dental assistants in Northern Michigan.
Students at Bay Mills Community College will be able to transfer to Northwestern Michigan College’s dental assistant program after completing their first year.
Advocates say the program will fill a dire need for dental assistants particularly in native communities.
Dr. Jessica Rickert, a now-retired Traverse City dentist, helped bring about the agreement. She’s also the first female Native American dentist in the United States, and remains the only one in Michigan.
“As I visit the reservations, dental clinics in northern Michigan and in the Upper Peninsula… they're booked way, way, way into the future. And so, if American Indians return to the reservation, or they live on the reservation, they are not able to get timely dental care.”
Students could start the dental assistance program as early as this Fall.