Rep. Larsen visits joint SVC and Swinomish dental therapy program

When the Swinomish Indian Tribal Community and Skagit Valley College partnered this year to launch the first Dental Therapy Education program in Washington state the joint program garnered national attention.

Second Congressional District U.S. Rep Rick Larsen noticed.

Larsen met with all six students from the first cohort of the pioneering dexwxayebus (pronounced dahf-hi-ya-buus) professional dental program and toured its new state-of-the-art lab in October.

A a decade of advocacy, planning, development and implementation between Swinomish and SVC went into its opening. Larsen discussed that with SVC President Christopher Villa.

“I enjoyed meeting with Dr. Villa to hear about his plans to support students, educators and staff and ensure Skagit Valley College remains a leader in offering a quality, affordable education in Northwest Washington, especially for first-generation college students, members of the BIPOC (Black, Indigenous People of Color) community and veterans,” Larsen told the Weekly News.

He stressed that the Swinomish-SVC dental therapy program “is delivering critical health care to tribal members not just in Washington state, but across the country.”

The program, co-located at the Swinomish Dental Clinic and SVC’s Mount Vernon campus, addresses oral health workforce disparities among underrepresented minorities, specifically the American Indian/Alaska Native communities. Students undergo a rigorous three-year curriculum that cultivates them in the scope of dental therapy and understanding the broader functions within a dental team.

The program vision is to apply evidence-based practices for clinical excellence, rich in cultural humility, public health and community awareness, provider integrity, and a holistic health team approach. The goal, say SVC and Swinomish officials, is to grow primary oral health providers who enhance a dental team through excellence in education, research, patient care and community service.

Swinomish has long been a proponent of dental therapy education. Its efforts were featured in a major New York Times front section two-page article and photo layout several years ago.

“Swinomish and SVC staff have worked for years to develop this important training program and then to take the steps necessary for accreditation,” tribal senate chair Steve Edwards said in August.

The dexwxayebus program, accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation, is the first of its kind in the lower 48 contiguous states to receive that status.

“Dental therapists,” Edwards said, “bring culturally appropriate oral health care to Native communities. There’s an unmet need for dental therapists, and now this training program will make dental therapy training available here in Washington, so students won’t have to move far from home to learn these valuable skills.”