CDHA President Lisa Okamoto, RDH

Dear colleagues,

Each year, whether it is towards the end or at the beginning of the calendar, we usually try to find time for reflection. There is no question that these are challenging financial times, and yet we continue to search for the positive and hope for improvement. We are able to rejoice in family and friends, give thanks, find comfort in memories, and celebrate new beginnings. Our faith in a brighter future, beyond our current struggles, gives us strength.

While the economy has created difficulties for hygienists, patients and employers alike, it has also focused attention on the failings of our current oral healthcare system. There is a vast and growing population needing our services. Solutions are being proposed encompassing a collaborative, patient centered approach; integrating oral health with medical health. We are on the eve of a new era of healthcare reform. CDHA is committed to positive change and is hard at work to ensure that dental hygienists are an integral part of the solution.

Professional healthcare roles are being reviewed, alternative workforce models considered, and delivery care systems analyzed with the goal of increasing access to care, especially for the most vulnerable populations. Here in California, a new pilot project is underway to investigate the expansion of dental hygiene services via teledentistry and professional collaboration. Delivery systems that bring dental hygiene services to the patients, develop partnerships across the healthcare spectrum, and utilize all healthcare professionals, including hygienists, to the full extent of their education and scope, are being evaluated. Our profession is poised for growth. Now is the time for dental hygienists to reach out and connect with each other, as well as with other healthcare providers, to work together to effect change in the public’s best interest.

We are all a part of the solution. Help us advance our profession and shape the future of oral healthcare. Add your voice to ours.

Respectfully,

Lisa Lee Okamoto RDH
CDHA President