Local health jurisdictions and oral health advocates in California now have guidance for promoting water fluoridation in their communities based on generally accepted, peer-reviewed scientific evidence and experience.
Dental practices that have been harmed or disadvantaged by the COVID-19 pandemic will find support through CDA-sponsored or supported bills signed into law in recent weeks by Gov. Gavin Newsom. Altogether, the governor signed 14 bills that help dentists practice better and expand access to oral health care.
The California Department of Health Care Services has awarded $69.4 million toward student loan repayments for 249 physicians and 41 dentists to expand health care access for Medi-Cal patients.
A recent survey of practicing dentists in California shows that 94% of surveyed dentists are vaccinated against COVID-19, due in part to trustworthy COVID-19 vaccine resources published by CDA. The survey indicates that confidence in the COVID-19 vaccines is much higher among practicing dentists than it is among adults nationwide.
“There are people in my community who will tell you that the Well-Being Program is probably the most important benefit they’ve received as a CDA member,” said Matthew Korn, DDS, chair of the CDA Well-Being Committee. The program assists dental community members who suffer from alcohol or chemical dependency or both.
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.
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.
The California Department of Public Health on Jan. 21 revised its COVID-19 vaccine training requirements, reducing the number of required courses dentists need to be eligible to administer the vaccine.
Dental professionals will be included in the state’s first-phase distribution of COVID-19 vaccine shots. CDPH expects that all essential health care workers identified in Phase 1a will receive their first dose of the vaccine by the end of January 2021.
Healthy People 2030, a 10-year national plan to promote and improve public health and prevent disease, launched Aug. 18 via webcast with experts from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention speaking on health equity, well-being and business partnerships.
Graduates at the University of California, San Francisco School of Dentistry are stepping into new beginnings in the COVID era.
International students facing additional stress to obtain legal eligibility to work in the U.S. due to temporary H-1B restrictions.
