Mental Health Bill Reauthorization

On December 4, over 60 organizations representing healthcare professionals signed a letter urging the U.S. House of Representatives to pass the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Reauthorization Act. Read the letter here. 

First passed in 2022, the Lorna Breen Act provides crucial mental health care for healthcare workers and is currently the only federal law that focuses on suicide prevention and occupational mental health support for physicians, nurses, and others working in the medical field. The letter calls on leadership to prioritize the bill’s reauthorization before the close of the 118th Congress. 

The Lorna Breen Act has bipartisan support and was also a catalyst for other regulatory boards and healthcare institutions to take action against stigmatizing policies and procedures affecting healthcare practitioners.

Read ASDA’s E-14 policy on supporting the mental health of dental students here. 

American Legislative Exchange Council Adopts Workforce Model

In early December, the American Legislative Exchange Council’s Health and Human Services Task Force adopted the Dental Access Model Act in collaboration with the American Dental Association.  

The ADA’s Council on Government Affairs presented the policy model to the task force, which included authorizations for expanded function dental auxiliaries and oral preventative assistants, as well as model regulations for teledentistry services. These policies are expected to address personnel shortages in the dental field and allow for increased productivity in dental offices. 

ADA President Dr. Brett Kessler says of the policy, “The proposed model is in the best interests of the public and promotes improvements for those seeking to support quality oral health care.” Read more from the ADA here.  

Bipartisan Bill to Support Healthcare Workforce

In early December, House members Jill Tokuda (HI-02) and Carol Miller (WV-1) introduced the Strengthening Pathways to Health Professions Act, endorsed by ASDA and 49 other medical organizations. If passed, the bipartisan bill would support pathways to the healthcare work in primary care, mental and behavioral health, and dental services.  

Specifically, the Strengthening Pathways to Health Professions Act exempts certain federal scholarships and loan repayment programs from federal income tax. Among eligible HRSA programs is the Faculty Loan Repayment Program, to which ASDA signed a letter in support of.  

ASDA’s F-3 policy endorses continued federal support for new and existing health education assistance programs.  

Virginia Court Dismisses Challenge to the DDH Compact

Last month, a Richmond, Virginia city circuit judge dismissed a lawsuit pertaining to Virginia’s participation in the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact. In March 2024, Virginia joined nine other states in the Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact, an agreement among participating states that permits licensed dental professionals to practice in participating states, essentially creating transferrable licensure.  

Senior Associate Dean of Clinical Affairs at Virginia Commonwealth School of Dentistry Richard Archer, D.D.S. and John Harris, D.D.S., who previously served on the Virginia Board of Dentistry, challenged the Compact, arguing that it grants state power to a non-state entity, therefore violating Virginia’s non-abridgment and nondelegation clause. 

The court ultimately found that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the Compact is unconstitutional special legislation. Read more about the DDH Compact here. 

ASDA supports efforts to increase licensure portability and the ability for licensed dental professionals to practice in other states without needing to obtain an additional license despite differences in state licensure requirements. Read more in ASDA’s L-4 policy.