FROM ASDA

2022-23 Advocacy Certificate Program is now open

Kenny Tran, Midwestern-AZ ’24, was presented with ASDA’s Excellence in Advocacy Engagement Award for earning the most points in ASDA’s 2021-22 Advocacy Certificate Program. Kenny shared,

“Advocacy is how we can protect our rights as dental students and advance our profession further. The most vital trait of an advocate is persistence. Let us harness our potential and use our strength to create change for our patients, profession, and community to make the world a better place.”

The 2022-23 Program is now open! Earn points by engaging in various advocacy initiatives. Anyone who submits 8 points will earn a custom certificate and letter from the ASDA president.

ASDA continues advocating for oral health literacy

On April 22, ASDA signed onto a letter with 16 other organizations urging the Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee to consider H.R. 4555, the Oral Health Literacy and Awareness Act. Last year, H.R. 4555 overwhelmingly passed the House of Representatives by a 369-58 vote and was subsequently referred to the Senate HELP Committee. This bill would authorize the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to implement an evidence-based education campaign to promote oral health literacy among vulnerable populations over a five-year period.

Chapter spotlight: Virginia

Students at the VCU School of Dentistry, the Virginia Dental Association Foundation, and Chesapeake Care Clinic teamed up to give free dental care at the two-day Mission of Mercy event. The value of care provided totaled $53,210 through 217 free dental extractions, exams and oral cancer screenings. Alex Lam, pictured right, is a student at VCU and participant in the event. He shared,

“This experience was wonderful and inspiring. It was painfully clear that a lot of people in Chesapeake need dental care, and it’s sad to extract as many teeth as we did. However, the joy and relief that I saw in so many of my patients after they were done with their appointment was why I wanted to be part of the MOM project: to make a change. Often, my patients would thank me and tell me how much pain they were in before I extracted their tooth. This event has really inspired me to become the best dentist that I can possibly be for the purpose of making a change in someone's life."

Advocacy Brief Challenge

The first five people to email advocacydept@ASDAnet.org with the correct answer to this question will win an Amazon gift card. All responses will also earn 1 point in the Advocacy Certificate Program.

Which bill listed in ASDA Action establishes a student loan repayment program for health care and related professionals engaged in either bio-preparedness and response activities or infections disease care in underserved communities?

FROM WASHINGTON

U.S. Department of Education gives borrowers fresh start

The U.S. Department of Education announced that in addition to extending the student loan payment pause through August 31, they will also mark the accounts of all borrowers currently in default (those who failed to make payments as outlined in the loan agreement) as “current.” This will allow delinquent accounts or borrowers in default to be granted a fresh start when payments resume in September. The Department of Education will also report the previously delinquent or defaulted accounts to credit bureaus as being in “good standing.” Currently, Americans owe close to $1.7 trillion in student loan debt. Ten million of those borrowers are estimated to be in delinquency or default.

Why does it matter? ASDA’s F-4 policy on student debt supports initiatives like the above to reduce the burden of debt for dental students.

ASDA supports two new federal bills

Did you know you can look up any federal bill currently being discussed by Congress on ASDA Action? Just click the Bills tab and search for any keyword or bill number. You can also see a list of bills ASDA supports on this page. Recently, ASDA added our support for two federal bills:

H.R. 3297: The Public Health Workforce Loan Repayment Act of 2021
H.R. 5602 / S. 3244: BIO Preparedness Workforce Act of 2021

Click on any of the bills to read a summary, actions taken on this bill, cosponsor status, and more.

FROM THE STATES

Dental Licensure Updates

Discussions surrounding dental licensure continue as states across the country adopt changes to the traditional live-patient clinical exam requirements. Significant changes for oral health professionals were recently signed into law in four states:

On April 6, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill that would allow candidates for initial licensure to demonstrate clinical skills on a manikin rather than a live patient.

On April 7, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill that would allow the Virginia Board of Dentistry to grant a faculty license to a graduate of a foreign dental school without examination, provided the applicant has been granted a certification letter from the dean or program director of an accredited dental program confirming the applicant has clinical competency and clinical experience that meet the credentialing requirements.

On April 19, West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice signed a bill that would increase licensure portability in the state. Under the new law, licensing boards in West Virginia are required to issue a license to anyone who has a held a license in another jurisdiction for at least one year, if the licensing board determines the other jurisdiction has a similar scope of practice, education, experience and examination requirements. Similar laws have recently been signed or implemented in Arizona, Iowa, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, and New Mexico.

On May 2, Oklahoma Gov. Kevin Stitt signed a bill that will permanently allow the use of a manikin instead of a live patient.

For more information and resources on dental licensure, click here.

Have questions about ASDA advocacy? Contact advocacydept@ASDAnet.org.

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