Health & wellness
BY CHLOE YOUNG
Health & Wellness Edition 2026
Readers, welcome to your annual CI Health & Wellness Edition! January in my home has always been a month to reset, re ect and realign. After the holidays and the rush of year-end commitments, January invites an intentional approach to wellness. In this guide, I hope you nd informative stories that help support your physical health, mental resilience, and emotional well-being. Wherever you are starting from, I hope this guide o ers encouragement to be your best.
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What's inside
Learn how a bike race raises money for MS (Page 19)
Discover how school districts balance nutrition (Page 21)
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Austin Community College combats dental hygienist shortage
The approach
The $8 million expanded dental hygiene clinic was funded by ACC’s $770 million bond election in 2022. Austin-area dental leaders with the Capital Area Dental Society met with ACC board of trustees and advocated for the college to expand its dental hygiene program to help grow the dental hygienist workforce, said Dr. Shailee Gupta, local dentist and member of Capital Area Dental Society. The clinic has enabled students and faculty to provide low-cost dental and gum care to more community members, said Michelle Landrum, ACC Dental Hygiene department chair. ACC is planning to launch a dental hygiene program with a new health sciences building at its Hays Campus in Kyle by 2028, Landrum said.
Central Texas dentists have been feeling the e ects of a nationwide shortage of dental hygienists, facing di culties lling vacant positions to serve a growing number of patients. A 2019 study by the Texas Department of State Health Services projected that the demand for dental hygienists would outpace supply from 2018 to 2030. In Central Texas, the shortage of dental hygienists was projected to increase by 116.4% from 2018 to 2030, according to the report. To help counteract this shortage, Austin Community College opened an expanded dental hygiene clinic at its Eastview Campus this fall, nearly doubling the program’s annual cohort of students from 18 to 34.
Texas vs. Central Texas The number of dental hygienists statewide peaked in 2024 after a drop in 2022. In Central Texas, the total remained lower in 2024 than before. Texas Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos
2.5K 0 5K 10K 12.5K 15K 17.5K 7.5K
16,010
14,310
13,230
13,030
11,510
11,180
1,630 1,320
1,250 1,420
1,050 1,090
2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2023
SOURCE: U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS COMMUNITY IMPACT
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SOUTHWEST AUSTIN DRIPPING SPRINGS EDITION
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