CDA advocacy placed California ahead of the curve for enabling dentists to vaccinate individuals against COVID-19 when the Department of Consumer Affairs granted a public health emergency waiver on Jan. 4. Other states soon followed, passing legislation or issuing waivers and governors’ executive orders that allow dentists to administer the COVID-19 vaccines.

CDA’s Grassroots Advocacy Days have resumed, but instead of in-person meetings at the state Capitol in Sacramento, student representatives from California’s six dental schools have been meeting with legislators and legislative staff via Zoom over the last few weeks to lobby for critical issues affecting dentistry.

New opportunities are opening for dentists who wish to support the statewide vaccine efforts. Dental professionals play a role in helping the state meet the vaccination demand and can contribute by volunteering at vaccination sites and educating patients about COVID-19 vaccine safety and efficacy.

The $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill signed March 11 by President Joe Biden provides billions of dollars in relief for individuals, families and small businesses through forgivable low-interest loans, tax credits, emergency grants, extended unemployment benefits and other assistance.

The Achievement award recognizes CDA for its unwavering advocacy efforts to successfully create an alternative pathway to timely licensure for graduating dental students whose clinical exams were canceled or postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Organized dentistry is making it easier for dentists across California to support COVID-19 vaccination efforts. Local dental societies have been working with local health departments to get dentists and their staff members vaccinated, and dentists are volunteering their time and skills at vaccination clinics in their communities. 

An expedited licensure application review process is now available for individuals in specific categories who apply for a professional license through California licensing boards, including dentists, RDAs and RDAEFs who apply for licensure through the Dental Board of California. 

In addition to funding California’s COVID-19 recovery and vaccination efforts and proposing several billion dollars to tackle homelessness and help schools reopen, the state budget proposal released Jan. 8 supports improvements in oral health care delivery and access to dental services.

With several promising vaccines for the new coronavirus in various stages of testing, California is developing its own vaccination plan for the state’s population. CDA is asking the state to revise its distribution plan to standardize the list of essential health care workers for the purpose of phase-1 distribution and to include oral health care providers on that list.