Innovative Dental Education Center at Pikes Peak State College Supports the Future of Dentistry
July 19, 2024 – Colorado Springs, CO – Encore Electric, Pikes Peak State College (PPSC), and Delta Dental collaborated to create the Delta Dental Oral Health Career Center, a pioneering dental simulation (SIM) lab that will provide students with hands-on training opportunities as they begin their dental careers while performing dental work on patients as well as mannequins. The new laboratory was celebrated in a public ribbon-cutting ceremony on July 16, 2024.
Through the integration of electrical construction and technology, this collaborative project laid the groundwork for empowering aspiring dental care providers with practical, cutting-edge training to address the shortage of dental health professionals in the area.
Pikes Peak State College Delta Dental Oral Health Career Center , Colorado Springs, Colorado
“This project provided an excellent opportunity to leverage One Encore,” said Travis Seabolt, Encore Electric project manager. “The team addressed all electrical, power, lighting, lighting control, access control, CCTV, fire alarm and coordinated power and connections to owner-furnished medical equipment. We also installed all the voice/data and audiovisual aspects of the project.”
“Our team recently completed a renovation at the Pikes Peak State College’s Cypress location. The college was so grateful of what our team did for them on that project, and so I smiled when I received the RFP for this Delta Dental project,” said Cory Miller, senior estimator. “After submitting the proposal, we were sitting in our Monday morning precon meeting giving updates on past estimates. When this Delta Dental project came up, I remember thinking ‘It’s a GO!'”
Together, the Encore Electric team helped transform an existing building into a modern facility, overcoming challenges in integrating new systems. Using BIM and VDC, the team gained accurate takeoffs for wire, conduit, and detailed plans, enabling organized and on-time installations.
The Dental Operation/Hygiene SIM lab’s complexity is unique because it is an open space with 20 dental bays spread across two large rooms. Each of the 20 bays is equipped with dual cameras, a microphone, and a speaker to monitor and evaluate students during simulated and actual dental operations and exams.
Along with network cabling, the team provided installation and integration of the simulation (SIM) system that includes two-way audio and video in multiple areas of the facility including areas designed to mimic a working dental office. A significant challenge was ensuring the camera views and sound were contained within each SIM bay to provide students with targeted feedback and guidance.
“Having this technology will allow students to objectively self-evaluate their skills and correct techniques,” said Ewa Posorski, PPSC Dental Center director. “Taking any potential perceived bias out of instruction and evaluation will help students grow in their skills.”
Encore Electric was involved early on, allowing the team to understand the school’s technology standards, expectations, budgets, and on-site capability needed to manage and maintain the SIM lab. The team also visited classrooms across the campus with the PPSC IT team to evaluate facility standards and existing classroom equipment. After examination, Encore Electric installed demo equipment in different configurations. This process uncovered crucial insights, such as the need for a system that could accommodate both right and left-handed dental students.
“Not being tech experts, it was challenging at first to wrap our heads around the technology and how it would fit with what we wanted,” said Posorski. “Encore Electric helped us understand the technical functionality and showed us how different solutions would fit our needs and our budget.”
“This has been a very rewarding project,” said Josh Dasher, Encore Electric Technology Solutions design and engineering manager. “Keeping the audio-visual design at the forefront through the life of this project was the right decision. Not only did it help us understand the customer’s unique needs and identify the systems that met them, but it enabled the technology scope to help drive the schedule, instead of adding complicated delays at the end of the project. If we had followed industry norms and finalized and installed these systems later, the schedule would have been impacted by rework and change orders.”
“I’m proud of the work the entire Encore Electric team did on this project,” said Ben Bohl, Encore Electric Technology Solutions project manager. “Every single person played a crucial role in this project. From the dedicated prefabrication team, who supplied spooled fiber that met PPSC color standards and streamlined our material delivery, to our talented team that ensure high standards were not just met but exceeded.”
Throughout the project, Encore Electric teammates demonstrated an in-depth understanding of PPSC and its aspirations for the industry. With meticulous planning and a collaborative mindset, the team brought the customer’s vision to life with an innovative solution to help combat the shortage of dental health professionals in the region.
“The expansion and cutting-edge technology will make PPSC Dental Center the pioneer in emerging trends in student instruction and evaluation,” said Posorski. “It will make us the leader among all dental hygiene and dental assisting schools in the state and one of a handful in the nation.”
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