ADHA Access July 2012 : Page 8
leadership message continued from page 6 { tion this year through our letter-writing campaign to the Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA), but we’re not done! ADHA was proud to take another step in this direction by undertaking an accreditation fea-sibility study. The purpose of the study is to evaluate the existing dental hygiene accreditation process and determine whether there are appropri-ate options such as the establishment of a new independent accredita-tion agency or use of an alternative existing accreditation program. The investigation includes research on the history of CODA, focus groups of key dental hygiene program stakeholders and recommenda-tions to ADHA on the possible accreditation options for the profession. We will receive the final report from our accreditation consultant, Mike Hamm, this fall during our Board of Trustees meeting. The accredita-tion study final report will provide us with the data and information to assess our next steps on the course toward professional autonomy. As an intermediate step, we have written a letter to CODA requesting greater representation on the commission based on the number of dental hygiene education programs in existence today. With 334 entry-level dental hygiene programs, one commissioner is simply not adequate to represent our profession. This is especially true when you consider the number of dental education programs that have a much higher representation of dentists on the commis-sion. We will keep you informed of all our efforts. Clearly, by working together through ADHA on issues such as educational advocacy, we can make a big difference in shaping the future of our profession. ADHA remains committed to building liaison relationships with other organizations to work on solving the problems outlined in our strategic plan. Through our strategic alliance goal, we will continue to ensure that ADHA has a place at the table when oral health policy issues are discussed. ADHA and our state associations are gaining momentum by participating in coalitions with a variety of groups and foundations to create dental hygiene-based workforce models across the country. We have a wonderful foundation to build upon and a very bright future to work towards. We are confident that the coalitions in Kansas, Vermont and Wash -ington will continue working together and will consider submitting leg-islation again this coming year to create new oral health providers. In addition, we are excited about legislation in a number of other states that will work through coalitions to increase access to oral health care and move the dental hygiene profession forward! In all this liaison work, ADHA advocated for dental hygienists and for models that incorporate dental hygiene as a part of the solution to the access to care crisis. We continue to be committed to any new provider being licensed, having an accredited education and having direct access to the public. We firmly believe the new providers will better utilize the existing workforce and have a powerful role in bringing care to those currently outside the oral health care system. New providers are just one avenue by which we are working to-wards our future. We have a broader agenda and are seeing progress in states like New Hampshire, where House Bill 1537, allowing primary care providers to provide preventive oral health services to children up to three years of age under the state Medicaid program, has been signed into law. Another example is West Virginia, where a new law enables dental hygienists with a public health practice permit to place sealants on a patient’s teeth without a prior examination by a licensed dentist. Florida became the 45th state to achieve local anesthetic administration for dental hygienists this year! We only have five states to go to make what has been a common everyday practice for some of us a national practice standard. Congratulations to all of you who have worked hard in your state to advocate for advances in dental hygiene! Given the renewed interest by legislators, the public and especially the national media, we are confident that we are making the right moves at the right time to position our profession for success. Each of us plays a vital role in this work. More than ever, I cannot emphasize enough the need for you to help us educate your legisla-tors and patients about our profession, our education and the ways we practice. Have you noticed lately that the national media is start-ing to pick up the access to care story more often? Help us share our story so that each of you can be part of the nationwide movement to chart the path toward a successful future for dental hygiene. The ADHA Board of Trustees, through the strategic plan, continues to place a strong emphasis on professional autonomy. We take every opportunity to ensure ADHA and dental hygienists are engaged in all conversations that deal with the future of dental hygiene education, curriculum and requirements. Together, we must continue our efforts to govern our own profession. ADHA has established bold membership projections based on our opportunity to celebrate—all year long—our 100th anniversary as a profession! This goal can be achieved only through the efforts of all dental hygienists across the country. You have probably already heard that the winning tag line for the anniversary in our Facebook contest is “100 Years of Dental Hygiene: Proud Past, Unlimited Future.” Using this great theme, I am excited to talk with dental hygienists across the country throughout this next year about issues that are important to them and how ADHA is investing in their future. We learned through our brand focus groups that when dental hygienists are educated about all that ADHA does, they begin to see the value that ADHA membership can provide them. I challenge each of you to be a strong advocate for ADHA membership. Our con-versations with dental hygienists across the country need to go beyond just supporting their professional association. I am asking you to talk with your colleagues about the things that ADHA does on their behalf. I ask you to keep up-to-date through subscribing to ADHA’s new district listservs, by reading ADHA Update , and of course by keeping up with all the news in Access magazine. Finally, I would ask you to share some of what ADHA is up to with a friend or coworker. I guarantee you they will see our professional organization in a new light. I want to stand at this podium next year in Boston and celebrate with you 100 years of success and the achievement of our member-ship goals. So remember, let’s use the opportunity of the 100th an-niversary of dental hygiene to proclaim not just the year of the dental hygienist, but the year of the ADHA member! Let’s work together to reach our membership goal so that we can live up to the celebration’s tag line: “100 Years of Dental Hygiene: Proud Past, Unlimited Future!” Our path will not always be easy to navigate. There will be obstacles to overcome. Goals such as having more control over our profession will require stamina and long-term commitment. Again, we will need to grow in order to achieve critical mass and speak with the loudest voice possible to advocate for our profession. In conclusion, I want to express my sincerest thanks to our new Past President Pam Quinones, RDH, BS, and all the presidents before her who pass the reins of leadership to me. Our newly elected trustees, along with those who are continuing their terms, will have no problem achieving ADHA’s goals based on the solid foundation that we have cre-ated together. I know ADHA is well-positioned for continued success. I would also like to recognize the ADHA staff that helps us to achieve our goals. Staff is truly our strategic partner in all of our activi-ties and is instrumental in helping us to move our profession forward. I am proud that we have made it as far as we have. The past 100 years of our profession have produced some truly inspiring achieve-ments. We have a wonderful foundation to build upon and a very bright future to work towards. I ask each and every one of you to join in growing our association and to inspire and nurture our future members. And finally, I would ask each of you to embrace change and expand the scope of your profession and reach your goals. Thank you for the privilege and honor to serve as your ADHA president during this centennial year. I especially look forward to meeting many of you personally during my regional visits throughout this year. I wish all of you many great successes that we can share and celebrate next year when we come together again to celebrate 100 years of dental hygiene at the Center for Lifelong Learning at the 90th Annual Session in Boston. Don’t miss this event where we will bring the theme of “100 Years of Dental Hygiene: Proud Past, Unlim-ited Future” to life! Susan Savage, RDH, BS, was installed as ADHA president on June 19, 2012. This column features excerpts from her speech to the Third n House of Delegates. 8 JUL 2012 access
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