ADHA Access — May-June
Change Language:
Leadership Message
A Change in the Conversation
The change in the national conversation about oral health care and future roles that dental hygienists may play in the health care delivery system make this an exciting time for our profession.
As I prepared to write the last leadership column of my presidential term, I began to mentally review the events that have taken place during my time as ADHA president and before that, as an officer on the Board of Trustees. In many respects, ADHA and the dental hygiene profession have come a long way in a very short time. One particularly striking realization was how often these days we are asked to share our viewpoint as a recognized authority on matters of oral health and access to care.
Because I live only a few miles outside Washington, D. C., I have been asked several times over the past several years to serve as the ADHA liaison to various Washington events and hearings dealing with oral health and access to care issues. In that short time, I have seen a great shift in the dialog about oral health in this nation.
Two or three years ago, ADHA and dental hygiene had to work hard just to ensure that we were a part of the conversation on access to care issues. Now we are the conversation. A great example of this was seen during the February hearings of Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, chaired by Bernard Sanders of Vermont. Testifying to the subcommittee was dental hygienist Christy Fogarty, RDH, MSOHP, one of Minnesota's newly practicing Advanced Dental Therapists (ADT). Fogarty shared with the subcommittee information about her experience practicing as a dental hygienist and an ADT in bringing oral health care to those currently locked out of the system. She also testified that being educated first as a dental hygienist and then as an ADT allowed her to provide important preventive care combined with restorative care within the ADT scope of practice. This combination will provide a great benefit to patients. What a source of pride it is for us that U. S. Senators hear this message from a dental hygienist/ ADT and for our profession's views to be represented at that high level of government.
The obvious question is how did this change in the oral health conversation begin to evolve? I truly believe that much of the answer comes down to a single word: collaboration. You may remember that in my November column on the ADHA Environmental Scan, Dental Hygiene at the Crossroads of Change, I wrote about the concept of collaborative leadership. Collaborative leaders engage people and groups to work toward common goals that rise above their traditional roles, disciplines, and past experience and beliefs.
ADHA's efforts at collaboration are not new. We've always had liaison efforts with other health care organizations, and we've had a partnership goal in our strategic plan since 2006. Over the years, however, our collaboration efforts have grown and evolved. The strategic alliances goal in ADHA's new 2012-15 strategic plan was developed Based on the content of the environmental scan and now reads "ADHA will advance the dental hygiene profession through collaborative partnerships." Our collaborative efforts have expanded greatly and now include foundations, safety net groups and government entities and others to advance access to care and simultaneously create new practice settings for dental hygienists.
Already over the past several years, we've seen how collaborative leadership in several states has led to successful models that expand access to oral health for many of those who had been locked out of the system. Of course the establishment of the ADT in Minnesota as the nation's first mid-level provider serving the public was a proud moment, but there are many others. The PA-161 model in Michigan, for example, allows dental hygienists working under collaborative agreements with dentists to provide treatment in schools and nursing homes. Similarly, in South Carolina, dental hygienists employed by, or contacted through, the Department of Health and Environment Control may provide an oral prophylaxis, fluoride therapy and dental sealants under general supervision without a prior examination by a dentist in settings such as schools or nursing homes. Just a few years ago, these types of work settings didn't exist, and it was through collaborative efforts by ADHA and our state organizations that this progress was possible.
The conversation has also changed in the professional and consumer media. Just this week, the topic of the lack of access to oral health care for the poor reached a national audience a this story on ABC's "World News Tonight." There was also a recent editorial in the New York Times by former Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) louis W. Sullivan, MD, about the growing need for a new dental provider to provide increased access to oral health care. The conversation also continues in our professional media with the "Dr. Bicuspid" website and e-newsletter recently posting my response to an editorial by Jay Friedman, DDS entitled: "Is the ADHA mid-level provider model fair to hygienists?"
As you can see, the change in the national conversation about oral health care and future roles that dental hygienists may play in the health care delivery system make this an exciting time for our profession. As a member of ADHA, know that you have a stake in this conversation. There is power in numbers and our professional voice is being heard loud and clear. We truly are "Better Together."
As I approach the end of my term as ADHA president, I want to thank all of you for your support. It has been a wonderful experience representing your interests and serving you over the past 11 months. I look forward to seeing you and celebrating our success next month at Cll/Annual Session in Phoenix.
The change in the national conversation about oral health care and future roles that dental hygienists may play in the health care delivery system make this an exciting time for our profession.
As I prepared to write the last leadership column of my presidential term, I began to mentally review the events that have taken place during my time as ADHA president and before that, as an officer on the Board of Trustees. In many respects, ADHA and the dental hygiene profession have come a long way in a very short time. One particularly striking realization was how often these days we are asked to share our viewpoint as a recognized authority on matters of oral health and access to care.
Because I live only a few miles outside Washington, D. C., I have been asked several times over the past several years to serve as the ADHA liaison to various Washington events and hearings dealing with oral health and access to care issues. In that short time, I have seen a great shift in the dialog about oral health in this nation.
Two or three years ago, ADHA and dental hygiene had to work hard just to ensure that we were a part of the conversation on access to care issues. Now we are the conversation. A great example of this was seen during the February hearings of Senate Subcommittee on Primary Health and Aging, chaired by Bernard Sanders of Vermont. Testifying to the subcommittee was dental hygienist Christy Fogarty, RDH, MSOHP, one of Minnesota's newly practicing Advanced Dental Therapists (ADT). Fogarty shared with the subcommittee information about her experience practicing as a dental hygienist and an ADT in bringing oral health care to those currently locked out of the system. She also testified that being educated first as a dental hygienist and then as an ADT allowed her to provide important preventive care combined with restorative care within the ADT scope of practice. This combination will provide a great benefit to patients. What a source of pride it is for us that U. S. Senators hear this message from a dental hygienist/ ADT and for our profession's views to be represented at that high level of government.
The obvious question is how did this change in the oral health conversation begin to evolve? I truly believe that much of the answer comes down to a single word: collaboration. You may remember that in my November column on the ADHA Environmental Scan, Dental Hygiene at the Crossroads of Change, I wrote about the concept of collaborative leadership. Collaborative leaders engage people and groups to work toward common goals that rise above their traditional roles, disciplines, and past experience and beliefs.
ADHA's efforts at collaboration are not new. We've always had liaison efforts with other health care organizations, and we've had a partnership goal in our strategic plan since 2006. Over the years, however, our collaboration efforts have grown and evolved. The strategic alliances goal in ADHA's new 2012-15 strategic plan was developed Based on the content of the environmental scan and now reads "ADHA will advance the dental hygiene profession through collaborative partnerships." Our collaborative efforts have expanded greatly and now include foundations, safety net groups and government entities and others to advance access to care and simultaneously create new practice settings for dental hygienists.
Already over the past several years, we've seen how collaborative leadership in several states has led to successful models that expand access to oral health for many of those who had been locked out of the system. Of course the establishment of the ADT in Minnesota as the nation's first mid-level provider serving the public was a proud moment, but there are many others. The PA-161 model in Michigan, for example, allows dental hygienists working under collaborative agreements with dentists to provide treatment in schools and nursing homes. Similarly, in South Carolina, dental hygienists employed by, or contacted through, the Department of Health and Environment Control may provide an oral prophylaxis, fluoride therapy and dental sealants under general supervision without a prior examination by a dentist in settings such as schools or nursing homes. Just a few years ago, these types of work settings didn't exist, and it was through collaborative efforts by ADHA and our state organizations that this progress was possible.
The conversation has also changed in the professional and consumer media. Just this week, the topic of the lack of access to oral health care for the poor reached a national audience a this story on ABC's "World News Tonight." There was also a recent editorial in the New York Times by former Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) louis W. Sullivan, MD, about the growing need for a new dental provider to provide increased access to oral health care. The conversation also continues in our professional media with the "Dr. Bicuspid" website and e-newsletter recently posting my response to an editorial by Jay Friedman, DDS entitled: "Is the ADHA mid-level provider model fair to hygienists?"
As you can see, the change in the national conversation about oral health care and future roles that dental hygienists may play in the health care delivery system make this an exciting time for our profession. As a member of ADHA, know that you have a stake in this conversation. There is power in numbers and our professional voice is being heard loud and clear. We truly are "Better Together."
As I approach the end of my term as ADHA president, I want to thank all of you for your support. It has been a wonderful experience representing your interests and serving you over the past 11 months. I look forward to seeing you and celebrating our success next month at Cll/Annual Session in Phoenix.
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