The Immediate Past President

Conceiving the Future

CDA has accomplished much during the past year. It has been the result not of any one person’s individual effort, but by the cooperative effort of volunteers and staff. It has been said before, but our CDA and component staffs represent the highest standard of talent, motivation, and dedication. I’d like to thank them for all they do on our behalf.

I would also like to thank another part of our family. We have two of the most successful subsidiaries in all of organized dentistry. Their success means that we can do more for our members than dues alone would allow. Another, more subtle, asset is that our financial strength translates into political clout. I would like to thank the CEOs of TDIC and 1201, Fritz Knauss and Bob Witt, and their volunteer chairmen, Don Schinnerer and Sandy Bocks, for their contributions to CDA and congratulate TDIC on its 20 years of serving dentistry.

As I leave the office of president, I’d like to leave CDA with some personal observations about a few issues I feel will be of major concern to this association in the coming years. First of all, the future of this profession must be determined by organized dentistry. Not by politicians, not by regulators, and not by third parties. Some years back, we had a marketing campaign that told the public, "We are the dentists who set the standards." And long before Congressman Norwood took up the fight, CDA started the Patients Bill of Rights concept. However, getting our message out to the public and legislators costs money.

We must be willing to support programs to inform and educate the public. Last year’s Board of Trustees approved the hiring of a marketing director to coordinate CDA and subsidiary efforts in public relations and marketing. I will strongly urge that person to develop an aggressive marketing and public awareness program to be presented to the Board of Trustees. The House of Delegates would then be asked to approve an assessment to pay for that marketing plan at its 2001 meeting.

We must also address the issue of CalDPAC participation. We can no longer depend on the contributions of 40 percent of our members to support the legislative efforts for all of us. If it were possible, I would make PAC participation mandatory. Advocacy is the only way we can influence our own future. Director Liz Snow and the Government Relations Office have done a fantastic job with the resources available, but the political reality is that money is power. Unless we gain access to political discussions, no one hears our side. Numbers count, both in money and membership. We reduced the amount of the PAC contribution this year in hopes of increasing participation.

The other sacred cow I hope to barbecue is continuing competency. By virtue of our license, the state has granted us a monopoly to do dentistry. We have a responsibility that goes along with that monopoly. It is a responsibility to remain competent. The public has a right to expect that we are competent not only at the time we take our initial clinical exam and not only because we attest that we have taken 50 hours of continuing education every two years. I’m not suggesting that we support re-examination. CDA has developed an alternative consisting of self-examination and lifelong learning. In the past, this concept has been rejected. However, the guidance for assessing competency must come from organized dentistry. If we do not act on this, others certainly will. I want it to be the California Dental Association members who set the standards.

While I’m very proud of all that CDA has accomplished this past year, I must also discuss the future. The Bible tells us that Methuselah lived to be 969 years old. I predict we dentists will see more change in the next 20 years than Methuselah saw in his whole lifetime.

California has a reputation of being a place where new ideas, good and bad, originate. One of this association’s greatest strengths is its willingness to change and adapt to cultural and demographic trends.

An old Sufi proverb says, "The first barrier to doing something is the knowledge that it can be done. Once you know something is possible, you can never return to the state of not knowing. This is why the first barrier is also the last."

Well, the California Dental Association has broken that barrier this year. Thanks to the concepts brought forth during our Strategic Planning Committee meetings and Executive Committee and senior staff retreats, the association has a blueprint for a new approach to our association structure. Like any building project, changes may have to be made to the original plan as conditions dictate, so the proposals of the Applied Strategic Plan are not set in stone, but they are the direction in which we’d like we want to move this association. As in real life, conception is the fun part. Dr. Jack Broussard and the rest of leadership have the tough job of giving birth to this new CDA.

In conclusion, I think the following story is appropriate. Two lions escaped from the Sacramento Zoo and took off in opposite directions. Months later they ran into each other in the middle of the night.

"I’m having a terrible time finding food," the first lion said. "How have you been getting along?"

"Just fine," the second lion replied. "I found a good hiding place in the 1201 K St. building. I look for the CDA immediate past president to eat. It will be years before they notice anyone is missing."

I want to thank you for the year you’ve given me. I can think of no greater honor than serving as the president of this wonderful organization. My wife, Jain, and I thank you very much.