Advocacy
“An Unprecedented 2020 Legislative Session”
It began on January 13th, 2020 and lasted 135 days, adjourning on May 26th. But that’s not
what made it remarkable. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, about 40% of that time was spent in
an extended recess. More bills were introduced this year than in any session on record yet only
5% of them made it to the Governor’s desk. Unfortunately, our bill was not one of them.
“Are you my leader?”
Do you see yourself as a leader? Many of us don’t, but in fact, everyone is a leader. We lead our selves, our families, our work teams, and some of us choose to be leaders in our profession.
The question is not whether or not we are leaders. The question is, “how well do we lead?” Are
we leading consciously or unconsciously? Good leaders lead consciously, which means they are
aware of their thoughts and choose their actions rather than reacting to a situation.
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Through the Eyes of a Student Delegate
I will be honest, I went into the virtual House of Delegates pouting and being generally bratty about the fact that I was not going to be a part of the in-person action. I thought Covid-19 had all but ruined everything, and I was about to be robbed of the excitement of a LIVE House of Delegates. I am so glad to say that I was really very wrong! The ADHA made the virtual aspect of the House very easy to navigate.
April 2020: Board of Dental Examiner’s Update
One agenda item discussed was the Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPR) where one decision BODEX made, regarding dental therapy, was to set licensing fees:
- Initial, prorated fee: $80 (compared to $55 for DH)
- Triennial renewal: $375 (compared to $255 for DH)
- Jurisprudence exam: $200 (compared to $100 for DH)
- Licensure by credential: $1500 (compared to $1000 for DH)
There was much discussion about reducing all fees due to the ever-growing BODEX fund but ultimately no changes were made relevant to this version of the proposed rules.
Another discussion was in regard to COVID-19 – implementing Governor Ducey’s March 22 Executive Order (EO) Continuity of Work: The board clarified the following:
- For those of us renewing this year – we will have an extra six months –
until the end of December. This doesn’t mean you have to wait or that there is any special benefit to wait as our renewal fees this year are waived anyway due to previous legislation. This just allows extra time to get your CEs.
- Relevant to CEs – per the Governor’s EO, there will be NO limitations
for online (asynchronous) CEs
- Relevant to CPR – they waived the requirement that online courses must include a physical component – just the online course will suffice.
- Staff is working on a process to issue provisional licenses per the EO
The board waived the initial, prorated licensing fees and jurisprudence exam fees (except for the $35 online exam fee which actually goes to the exam provider, ProMetrics) for anyone (e.g. 2020 grads) seeking initial licensure in the state as long as the EO is still in effect. That would mean a $155 savings for the 2020 dental hygiene grads who take advantage of the provisional
licensing process. Board staff will use their own judgement regarding those who are already in the process of licensing.
Furthermore, BODEX determined they needed to address whether or not COVID-19 testing can legally be done by dentists and dental hygienists. This would be other than those volunteers or entities covered under the Governor’s recent EO Good Samaritan Order. Sean Murphy, the new ED for AzDA asked for this to be added to a future agenda to discuss and decide.
Trinity Cleveland, District XI Trustee
First, I’d like to thank all of you for your support during my run for ADHA Vice President.
Although I was not elected to the position, I am grateful to have had the experience and I look
forward to serving you as ADHA District XI Trustee for a fourth year! The ADHA Board of
Trustees continues to work hard to make well-informed decisions that will support you now and
throughout your career.
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Local Component’s of AzDHA
CENTRAL ARIZONA
SOUTHERN ARIZONA
Contact: Mindy Rogers jumiordragster7232@gmail.com