Wisconsin Dental hygienists’ association
Who Will Decide the Future of Dental Hygiene in Wisconsin?
It’s Your Profession and Your Future, Take Control!
As Wisconsin dental hygienists, you have achieved tremendous success over the past several years. You have improved your education, training, scope of practice, and most importantly the level of respect you receive from patients, lawmakers and yes, even dentists. These successes did not just drop out of the sky and into your laps. They were the result of hard work and incredible sacrifices made by dedicated individuals from your profession. Every licensed hygienist in this state, whether a WDHA member or not, should take pause to celebrate these accomplishments, understand what it took to achieved them, and consider the future of the profession.
Although these accomplishments were impressive, we must now focus on the future goals of the profession as well as protecting the gains we have made. Dental hygiene is a “legislated” profession which means everything you can and cannot do as a licensed hygienist is determined by Law makers and agency officials. The same decision making bodies responsible for lifting up the profession, can just as quickly pass legislation or adopt new rules to restrict and limit your ability to practice dental hygiene.
The legislative process is cyclical. Every two years we hold state elections with half of the 33 Senators up for election as well as all 99 Assembly representatives. This means that every two years the make- up of the legislature could change, bringing with it new people and new philosophies. Therefore, we must remain vigilant. Everything hygienists achieved over the past several years could be reversed if opponents of the profession have their way. This isn’t hype, its reality!
What can you do to protect your profession? Although you cannot change the fact your profession is regulated by state law, you do have the power to influence who the decision-makers will be and how they will apply the law to your profession. Since becoming the Wisconsin Dental Hygienists’ Association lobbyist several years ago, I have encouraged Wisconsin hygienists to take control of their own future by becoming active participants in the state election process. By getting involved, you can help shape the make-up of the Wisconsin Legislature as well as raise their level of understand about your profession.
The 2009-2010 biennial Legislative Session will end in Spring 2010, at which time lawmakers will leave Madison and return home to run for reelection. Given the small margin of control between Democrats and Republicans in each house (2 votes in the Senate and 3 votes in the Assembly), and the fact Governor Doyle will not be seeking reelection, the 2010 state election have become extraordinarily important to the future direction of this state. Therefore, it is time for all licensed dental hygienists to join together and become actively involved in the electoral process. Remember, lawmakers are elected public servants. As voters you have the power to help elect or defeat these individuals. Likewise, once in office, you have the right to ask for their support and voice your concerns.
Controlling Your Future: There are three goals that if achieved, will lead to dental hygienists’ success in the future: Organization, Membership, and Action!
Organization: No profession can reach their goals and achieve success without having a strong, well run professional association. In addition to providing basic member services, your association provides the structure needed to achieve political and legislative success. Lawmakers must consider thousands of issues each legislative session. Therefore, constituents or constituent groups who scream the loudest, show up at events, campaign on their behalf, give political contributions, come to their offices in Madison, and do so in large numbers, will have the attention of their legislators. The WDHA helps amplify these constituent voices so they can be heard.
Membership: This is a simple concept. There are over 3,000 licensed hygienists in Wisconsin. However, only a fraction of these individuals belong to the WDHA. If a majority were to joined, we would be considered a powerful lobbying force in the state. Therefore, I suggest every member of the WDHA take it upon themselves to recruit new individuals in order to drive up your membership. It’s simple, the more active hygienists we have in the state, the more legislative constituents we will have to talk to legislators and help in our legislative efforts.
Action: Members need to be the foot soldiers in the fight to protect their profession. They need to participate in the association’s legislative and political activities. We need to raise the level of awareness for ALL licensed hygienists, show them the need to be active in the political arena and motivate them into action!
In closing I ask each of you who will decide the future of dental hygiene in Wisconsin? I think the answer is simply…it’s your profession and your future, so take control of it?
Remember, in politics and the legislative process, “IF YOU ARE NOT AT THE TABLE, YOU’RE PROBABLY ON THE MENU!
Peter Theo
WDHA Lobbyist
Legislation News
WDEB Meeting notes
Click on the date for notes for each meeting
WDEB meetings are held the first Wednesday of odd months
January 6, 2010
March 3, 2010
May 5, 2010
July 7, 2010
September 1, 2010
November 3, 2010
Dental Education Feasibility Study in Wisconsin began January 1, 2010
In 2009 the Wisconsin legislature, spear-headed by Senator Robert Jauch-D of Poplar, commissioned a study to find a solution to the critical shortage of dental health care providers in rural and northern Wisconsin. The study will determine if expanding dental education in the State of Wisconsin will increase access to dental care for rural and under-served populations. The comprehensive study of oral health education expansion should include:
* Identifying the most effective dental/medical delivery model(s) to improve access to care in under-served areas.
* Assess which type(s) of dental education: new school, new curriculum or new training programs for mid-level providers are needed to meet the needs of the under-served communities.
At the heart of this is the feasibility of a new dental school in Marshfield. As a member of the Dental Education Feasibility Study Advisory Committee (DAC), I have the opportunity to submit ideas from the perspective of dental hygiene. As you know, the Wisconsin Dentistry Examining Board is entertaining debate on changes to the Wisconsin Statutes a.k.a. our “practice act”. One of the recommendations is to remove the restrictive barriers to where the dental hygiene scope of practice can be performed. By opening the practice settings, we can reach those who cannot come to us. The recommendation for this policy change is also finding a home in the recommendations to the dental education feasibility study.
Along with a setting change, a model for expanding the scope of dental hygiene will be included. This model will be addressed through advanced education. I am thrilled with the way our Mega-Issues forum at the Indigo Conference in October as well as WDHA President-Elect Melissa Deyo’s action research project will enhance the recommendations put forward on behalf of dental hygiene.
The recommendation to the consultant for the study and the advisory committee will support a ladder concept where each level of education can be built on to advance the scope in which we practice. This of course will take articulation agreements with Bachelor of Science and Master of Science degree-granting schools with the focus being those in Wisconsin. Isn’t it exciting to think about the possibility of articulating an associate degree in dental hygiene with a bachelor degree to provide the services found in the Dental Therapist model in Minnesota? How about articulating that bachelor degree to a master’s degree to become an Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner using the curriculum developed by the American Dental Hygienists’ Association?
The outcome to this study remains to be seen. The initial findings of the study are expected by April 1, 2010. As more information becomes available, I will keep you informed.
Debbie Schumacher WDHA President
Peter Theo, above
Wisconsin Delegation at Capitol 2009, left
Linda Jorgenson
Peter Theo
Jodi Olmsted
Dental Education Feasibility Study in Wisconsin Completed April 1, 2010
The Dental Education Feasibility Study commissioned by the State of Wisconsin is complete. The goal of the study was to “assess the impact of a new dental school and other educational and non-educational strategies on dental access disparities for rural and urban underserved Wisconsin populations”.1 At the heart of this study was the feasibility of a new dental school in Marshfield. At this time, there will NOT be a dental school in Marshfield. However, this does not mean a dental school is out of the question for good. According to the final report Marshfield Clinic has these strengths: expertise in rural health care, a strong research component, highly respected graduate medical education programs as well as a creative clinical education model. Conversely, the same foundation is not currently in place for dental education. Although a new dental school will not open immediately, Marshfield Clinic has been advised to position themselves for a school in the future.
The short term recommendations from the study that impact the profession of dental hygiene are:
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Increase school-based dental care. It is believed that 60% of the children require only preventive services, 25-30% of restorative care needs could be done with mobile equipment at schools and the small remaining percentage of children would require care in the traditional dental office. The report feels that because of the higher reimbursement rates, Federally Qualified Health Care Centers (FQHC’s) would be in the best position to run these clinics.
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Improve FQHC productivity. It is believed that employing a higher number of dental hygienists and assistants would improve efficiency. Marshfield Clinics have initially focused on employing dentists to deal with the magnitude of disease and they plan to back fill with dental hygienists as the focus for care shifts to prevention.
The long-term recommendations from the study that impact the profession of dental hygiene are:
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Expansion of the Dental Safety Net system. These clinics can be FQHC or non-FQHC. Either way, increasing employment opportunities for dental hygienists.
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Development of Allied Dental Health Personnel. Included in this category would be Expanded Functions Dental Assistants as well as mid-level dental hygiene providers such as Dental Therapists. It was suggested that the mid-level providers would be beneficial to the school-based dental care programs.
Recommendations made and recognized on behalf of the profession of dental hygiene were:
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Removal of practice setting restrictions.
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Implementation of a career laddering system to increase the scope of dental hygiene practice through education.
While the work of the investigator and the advisory committee members is complete, the Department of Health Services will need to take this information and develop action plans to improve access to dental care. As more information becomes available, it will be shared with you.
1 Report to The Wisconsin Department of Health Services: Oral Health Education Study, March 31, 2010
