CHICAGO, Ill., Mar. 07, 2024 – A new initiative launched by TAG – The Aspen Group, Women Employed (WE), and Midwestern Career College (MCC) aims to foster economic empowerment and job creation in the dental health industry for low-income women in the Chicago area. The partnership marks a milestone in TAG's mission to expand access to care by supporting women who are under- and unemployed in their journey to join the dental healthcare workforce.

“This partnership highlights an essential aspect of TAG’s work to help remove barriers to entry for those interested in working in dental care,” Julie Frantsve-Hawley, Executive Director of TAG’s Oral Care Center for Excellence (OCC), stated. “The first step in achieving equitable and inclusive care is having a diverse workforce that can serve the specialized needs of our patients. With this new partnership, we can help more people join that workforce.”

As part of the partnership, women will participate in a program that prepares them to work as Dental Assistants in Chicago, Evergreen Park, Oak Lawn, and the surrounding communities. Women who participate in the program learn the necessary skills to enter the dental health field, enabling them to establish financial stability, support their families, and promote employment growth in the region. Low-income women are eligible to receive need-based financial assistance provided by WE that will be applied to the program’s tuition and ancillary expenses such as fees, books, uniforms, and childcare.

When asked about the partnership, MCC Dental Assisting Program Director, Dr. Clinical Psychology Trainee, and RDA Instructor, Khristina Brent, MA, said, “At Midwestern Career College, we strive to provide the best career opportunities for our students while advocating for marginalized people. Through our partnership with Women Employed and TAG’s Oral Care Center for Excellence, we feel we can better reach those seeking economic uplift through careers in oral health.

Our goal is to provide integrity, excellence, academic training, and a career-oriented approach in the field of dentistry to help women advance and achieve their career goals. These unique experiences enable new graduates to launch successful careers in the field of dentistry while including the talent of women in the workplace."

To advance the partners’ shared mission of increasing equity and creating jobs, TAG, WE, and MCC all offer support and resources to program participants based on need. TAG's state-of-the-art Oral Care Center serves as a year-round dental assisting externship site for select MCC dental assisting program participants — providing on-site training for clinical work. WE provides need-based financial support to students participating in this pilot program who come from WE’s community partners’ programs, by paying for basic certification training and state exams for participants who do not qualify for workforce training funding or vouchers, to ensure that students do not graduate with debt as they pursue externships and employment opportunities. MCC’s Evergreen Park campus offers discounted tuition to Health Care Careers (HCC) participants referred by WE. Upon successful completion of the program, graduates will be prepared to sit for the Registered Dental Assistant (RDA) certificate and trained to assist with standard dental procedures and perform dental medical administrative tasks.

Together, the alliance creates an important and accessible opportunity for women looking to jump-start their careers in the dental industry by helping program participants hone their technical skills and join the workforce. The program is now enrolling its next class and women interested can go to mccollege.edu/dental-assisting to apply today.

ABOUT TAG - THE ASPEN GROUP

TAG was built on the simple idea of bringing better healthcare to more people. TAG and the independent healthcare practices it supports operate more than 1,300 locations in 45 states through its five consumer healthcare brands: Aspen Dental®, ClearChoice Dental Implant Center®, WellNow Urgent Care®, Chapter Aesthetic Studio℠ and Lovet. Combined, the companies serve more than 35,000 patients a day and more than 8 million patients each year. TAG is headquartered at 800 W. Fulton Market in Chicago. For more information, visit teamtag.com, and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter.

ABOUT WOMEN EMPLOYED

Since 1973, Women Employed (WE) has worked to improve the economic status of women and remove barriers to economic equity by affecting policy change, expanding access to educational opportunities, and advocating for fair and inclusive workplaces so that all women, families, and communities can thrive. For more information, visit womenemployed.org or follow @WomenEmployed on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

ABOUT MIDWESTERN COLLEGE

Midwestern Career College provides premier career-focused education to empower students with academic training, technical expertise, and professional support to launch or advance their successful careers. For more information, visit mccollege.edu.

TAG – THE ASPEN GROUP MEDIA CONTACT

Lauren Vespa
e: lauren.vespa@aspendental.com

WE – WOMEN EMPLOYED

Judy Wemhoff Miyashita
e: jmiyashita@womenemployed.org

MCC – MIDWESTERN CAREER COLLEGE

Tessa Gillett, CSM
e: tgillett@mccollege.edu