Noteworthy News

Elliott

There are 4 new proprietary programs opening in Florida and they have already sought initial accreditation from ADACODA. Sanford Brown in Jacksonville, Tampa, Ft. Lauderdale and Orlando.

An important positive note for the new year is the start of an expansion at the Robert E. Speir Healthcare Education Center on the Grand Strand campus of Horry-Georgetown Technical College on the former Myrtle Beach Air Force Base. The $7.4 million addition is a triple play for the area. First, there is the construction itself, expected to start about midyear and continue for 15 or more months.
The 22,000-square-foot addition will provide more space for the growing health care programs - still a hot employment market - and a new low-cost dental program. The expansion recently cleared a hurdle with the S.C. Budget and Control Board, which allows the college to finish construction design work and seek bids.
Make no mistake, this addition is a milestone for HGTC's health education programs and for indigent dental services for the community. Phil Render, HGTC assistant vice president and dean of academic affairs explained the significance of the expansion in a recent report in The Sun News.

On Saturday, November 7, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act. The landmark vote marks one step in the efforts of Congressional leaders and the Obama Administration to pass comprehensive health reform legislation.

The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) is committed to keeping the dental hygiene community informed on health reform matters that impact the profession. ADHA respects that there are many opinions on health reform within the dental hygiene community. This update is not intended to sway recipients in one direction or the other on the issue, but is offered as a means to update dental hygiene professionals about the oral health provisions contained in H.R. 3962 and to offer an overview of ADHA’s engagement in the process thus far.

Health reform legislation in the House and Senate touches on many facets of the health care delivery system. The following offers a brief overview of oral health provisions contained in H.R. 3962:

Norine Dowd, RDH, BHSc, FDHA Liaison to The Florida Board of Dentistry, informs us that
RDH's cannot use the Diagnodent, ViziLite Oral Cancer screening and Oral Brush Biopsy.

THE STATE OF FLORIDA OPENS TOLL FREE SERVICE FOR RESIDENTS AND VISITORS TO RECEIVE INFORMATION ON SWINE FLU

The Florida Flu Information Line is 800-342-3557

TALLAHASSEE—As of 11 a.m. today, the State of Florida has opened a toll-free telephone service where residents and visitors can call to receive health information about swine flu.

The number for Florida residents to call is 1-800-342-3557.

The line will be staffed from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. daily until further notice. After hours calls will be handled by an automated service.

As Florida responds to swine flu, the Florida Department of Health offers the following recommendations:

People with respiratory illness or fever should stay home from work or school to avoid spreading infections, including influenza, to others in the community. .
Avoid close contact with people who are coughing or otherwise appear ill.
Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth.
Wash hands frequently to lessen the spread of respiratory illness.
Symptoms of swine flu are rapid onset fever, cough, fatigue and in some cases vomiting and diarrhea.
If you think you have the flu, please call your health care provider and discuss whether you need to be seen in their office or an emergency department, or stay home.

Swine flu is not transmitted by food and you cannot get swine flu from eating pork products.

The State of Florida is receiving frequent updates from the CDC, and working with local health departments to monitor the situation and immediately follow up on suspected cases. The Florida Department of Health has created a webpage with information at www.doh.state.fl.us, and the CDC has a web page at www.cdc.gov/swineflu.

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Occasional Smoker, 47, Signs Tobacco Bill

President Obama does not discuss the fact that he still occasionally smokes, a habit he very publicly tried to kick during his race for the White House.
But there he was on June 23, 2009, talking about cigarettes. As he signed legislation bringing tobacco products under federal control for the first time, the president conceded that the new law, aimed at keeping children from starting to smoke, could have helped him three decades ago.
Mr. Obama noted that 90 percent of smokers began on or before their 18th birthday.
“I know — I was one of those teenagers,” he said, standing beneath a punishing afternoon sun at a Rose Garden ceremony. “I know how difficult it can be to break this habit when it’s been with you for a long time.”
With that, Mr. Obama moved on. He did not mention whether he still smokes, a topic that has been a subject of considerable curiosity, and family drama, for years. Instead, he talked about the dangers of the addiction and its causes.
“Kids today don’t just start smoking for no reason,” he said. “They’re aggressively targeted as customers by the tobacco industry. They’re exposed to a constant and insidious barrage of advertising where they live, where they learn and where they play.”
The new law, the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act, allows the Food and Drug Administration not only to forbid advertising geared toward children but also to lower the amount of nicotine in tobacco products, ban sweetened cigarettes that appeal to young taste buds and prohibit labels like “light” and “low tar.”
When Mr. Obama entered the presidential race, he said his candidacy had been contingent on a deal with his wife, Michelle, that he quit smoking. The couple discussed his habit on “60 Minutes,” where Mrs. Obama declared, “I hate it.”
“That’s why he doesn’t do it anymore, I’m proud to say,” she continued. “I’m the one who outed him on the smoking. That was one of my prerequisites for, you know, entering this race, is that he couldn’t be a smoking president.”
Now there are few touchier questions inside the White House than whether Mr. Obama is still smoking. One senior administration official declined to answer, but pointed out that the president spoke Monday in the present tense, saying, “I know how difficult it can be to break this habit,” as opposed to “I know how difficult it was to break this habit.”
As Mr. Obama shook hands with some of the guests at the bill-signing ceremony, he wandered near a group of reporters. Dan Lothian, a correspondent for CNN, asked, “Mr. President, how difficult has your struggle been with smoking?”
The president, a mere few feet away, did not reply.
Several minutes later, the question came up at the daily White House press briefing. When asked directly if Mr. Obama was still smoking, the president’s press secretary, replied: “He struggles with it every day. I don’t honestly see the need to get a whole lot more specific than the fact that it’s a continuing struggle.”

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Click Here for Dental Assistant Scholarship Information.

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American Dental Association Applauds Legislators for Introducing “Meth Mouth” Bill

WASHINGTON, Feb. 16, 2009—Dr. John S. Findley, president of the American Dental Association (ADA), applauded Capitol Hill legislators today for introducing a federal bill aimed at understanding and treating “meth mouth”—a condition where teeth can become blackened, stained, rotting and crumbling from methamphetamine use. To read the full press release, please visit ADA.org at this link: http://www.ada.org/public/media/releases/0902_release05.asp

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Obama Signs The SCHIP bill became law on Feb. 4. It adds 11 million children to the program. SCHIP was established in 1997 to provide coverage for health care services to children and pregnant women from families that are not Medicaid-eligible but are unable to afford private insurance.

A motivation for starting the program was that people completely dependent on government programs had no incentive to work toward independence if getting a job meant losing health care for themselves or their children. SCHIP allowed children in families with incomes up to 200 percent (about $46,000/yr income) of the federal poverty level to enroll children, expecting co-pays from parents in the upper ranges.

Currently, most states offer a dental benefit as part of their state CHIP program, but the benefit is optional and subject to being eliminated when state budgets become constrained. A “dental wrap” benefit will enable children of families that meet income and other eligibility requirements for SCHIP and receive medical benefits through an employer-sponsored medical insurance plan, to access just dental coverage through SCHIP.

President Barack Obama signed a bill that reauthorized and expand SCHIP to an additional 4 million children. “In a decent society, there are certain obligations that are not subject to tradeoffs or negotiation, and health care for our children is one of those obligations,” he said. Notably, the measure passed both chambers with bipartisan support.

Bad news for smokers. The expansion is to be funded by a 62-cents-per-pack increase in the federal cigarette tax.

As things stand, parents will seek and get health care for their children when it’s needed. If they are uninsured, clinics and hospitals write the expense off as uncompensated care and then increase charges for patients who pay. In some way these expenses can and must be paid. SCHIP is not a bad program, especially in these economic times.

ADHA President Diann Bomkamp, RDH, BSDH, remarked, “The collective effort within the dental community to advocate for the inclusion of dental benefits in SCHIP demonstrates the strength of collaboration and the positive impact it can have on the patients we serve. Those efforts resulted in dental coverage for millions of low-income children who desperately need access to preventive and other oral health care services.”

For additional information on SCHIP visit: http://www.cms.hhs.gov/home/schip.asp

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Consumers Want to Buy Products That Dental Hygienists Recommend
www.Gumbrand.com offers robust suite of dental products for consumers, .

Sunstar Americas, Inc., an international leader in mouth and body care products, has commissioned a survey by Mintel International Group Limited to demonstrate consumers' desires to purchase products recommended by their dental hygienists.

The 1,957 people who participated in the online survey distributed in March of 2007 were asked about their relationship with their dental hygienist; the majority said they trust their dental professionals completely. What's more, 81 percent said they trust the product recommendations of their dental hygienist.

The study also found that women are more likely to visit their dental hygienist than men (47 percent to 39 percent), and that 69 percent of those women are more likely to shop for oral care products for themselves and the entire household.

"We know how hard dental hygienists work to educate their patients on the appropriate products to use, and this confirms patients are listening," said Ann Foppe, Professional Marketing Director of Sunstar Americas, Inc."Gumbrand.com has our entire suite of products online and is perfect for patients who are having a hard time finding the product recommended by their dental hygienist. It's a quick and easy shopping experience, with everything in one location."

The upgraded Web site is not only easy to navigate, it has product and oral health information for consumers as well as dental professionals. There are downloadable product pages which dental hygienists can use to check off recommendations and give to their patients as a reminder on which products to buy. A small tip card directing patients to the Web site is also available to download.

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The 2009 Annual Meeting will be hosted by St. Petersburg College. More information coming soon!

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2008 Phillips Sonicare Scholarship Recepients

Undergraduate Award Jessica Milford Brevard Community College

Graduate Award Paula Porter-Smith Hillsborough Community College

Innovative Curriculum Susan Rexroat Travis Career Center

Paula Porter Smith and Tracy Jacobs

Jessica Milford and Tracy Jacobs

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Symbols Dialing 211: Connecting People with Important Community Services

Every hour of every day, someone in the United States needs essential services- from finding an after-school program to securing adequate care for a child or an aging parent. Faced with a dramatic increase in the number of agencies and help-lines, people often don't know where to turn. In many cases, people end up going without these necessary services because they do not know where to start. 2-1-1 helps people find and give help.

€ Basic Human Needs Resource: food banks, clothing closets, shelters, rent assistance, utility assistance.

€ Physical and Mental Health Resources: health insurance programs, Medicaid and Medicare, maternal health, Children's Health Insurance Program, medical information lines, crisis intervention services, support groups, counseling, drug and alcohol intervention and rehabilitation.

€ Support for Older Americans and Persons with Disabilities: adult day care, congregate meals, Meals on Wheels, respite care, home health care, transportation, homemaker services.

€ Support for Children, Youth and Families: childcare, after school programs, Head Start, family resource centers, summer camps and recreation programs, mentoring, tutoring, protective services.

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American Heart Association New Guidelines for Pre-Medication 2007

Patients at the greatest danger of bad outcomes from infective endocarditis
and for whom preventive antibiotics are worth the risk include those with:

€ Artificial heart valves
€ A history of having had infective endocarditis
€ Certain specific, congenital heart conditions including:

- Unrepaired or incompletely repaired cyanotic congenital heart disease,
including those with palliative shunts and conduits

- A completely repaired congenital heart defect with prosthetic material or device, whether placed by surgery or by catheter interventions, during the first six months after the procedure

- Any repaired congenital heart defect with residual defect at the site or adjacent to the site of a prosthetic patch or prosthetic device

Antibiotic premedication is no longer indicated for dental patients with mitral valve prolapse, rheumatic heart disease, bicuspid valve disease, calcified aortic stenosis, congenital heart conditions, such as ventricular
septal defects, atrial septal defects, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

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Welcome

RDH talk was created for hygienists everywhere to be able to connect & visit with one another; its a place to just talk and become friends with other RDH's. You can ask advise on products, equipment, share concerns, good news and more!

Spread the news to your colleagues, its fun, informational on available when you are.

If interested you have to sign up here:http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/RDHTalk/

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To all Dental Hygienists

You recently received an invitation from the Dental Association to join
their allied staff. This may appear to be a very inexpensive alternative to
joining the organization that represents your profession. Yes, you will get
a break on the annual session but for that break you will be giving your
voice to the the dental association. In essence you are saying what ever
policies the ADA endorses that you agree with them. This can be pretty
devastating if they do not wish to promote the same direction for Dental Hygiene as you would like to see.

Consider instead joining ADHA which will provide you with updates relating to how your career is changing and evolving. You also will be involved in a professional organization that represents you profession only. The American Dental Hygienist Association is continually looking for ways to enhance our profession.

Currently there are a lot of Dental Hygienists who have been unable to find jobs. We need to be looking for ways that hygienists can close the gap on access to care. Our organization is doing just that and we need all the support we can get from all the members of our profession.

Thank you for considering not joining the allied staff and looking into joining our State Dental Hygiene Association.

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