The
Minnesota Dental Association’s 2007 House of Delegates meeting, held September
7-8 at the Duluth Entertainment Convention Center (DECC) in Duluth, Minnesota,
adopted the follow resolutions:
•
Directed the MDA to develop a new “sour candy” public relations program, to be
modeled after the “Sip All Day, Get Decay” soft drink program. The new program
will develop an appropriate slogan, brochures, posters, and related materials
for dental offices to provide to patients, and will inform the public through
the media of the dangers of excessive sour candy consumption.
•
Directed the MDA to encourage dentists who are members of the Association to
consider disallowing their names to be included on “top dentist”-type lists.
All member dentists will be sent a copy of the ADA’s Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct
with a cover letter formulated by the Constitution, Bylaws and Ethics Committee
asking them to not participate in such lists. The House further directed the
MDA to include a “boiler-plate” letter on its Web site for dentists to use and
send to the appropriate media requesting that the dentist’s name not be used in
any “top dentists” publications.
•
Directed the MDA to have a goal to increase the number of enrolled CADP clinics
to at least 250, with the number of CADP dentists increased to at least 400 by
the end of 2008.
•
Directed the MDA to support the development of a new type of dental worker,
called a “Community Dental Health Coordinator“ (CDHC), in Minnesota. The new coordinators would
complete 18 months of training and would work under dentist supervision in
health and community settings such as schools, churches, senior citizen
centers, Head Start programs, and other public health settings, with people
similar to their own ethnic/cultural background. They would promote oral health
and provide basic preventive services, particularly in rural areas and low
income communities. The House further directed the MDA to seek necessary legislative
or rule changes to allow this new type of dental worker to perform various
intraoral procedures, if one or more Minnesota
sites first receives funding to test the “Community Dental Health Coordinator”
concept. A resolution from 2001 and 2002 opposing the creation and licensure of
a mid-level dental practitioner was amended to include performance of surgical
procedures in the definition of mid-level dental practitioners opposed by the
MDA.
• Directed the MDA to
provide educational and other opportunities for members in order to expand
collaborative partnerships between dentists and dental hygienists under which
Head Start preschool children receive preventive oral health services at their
school or community center from a dental hygienist and are then referred to a
collaborating dentist for necessary treatment. The House further directed the
MDA to include in its legislative agenda the seeking of legislation to increase
the reimbursement rates for dental procedures to make them more in line with
current marketplace rates so that dentists could in turn treat more public
program patients; if funds are not so available, increased reimbursement rates
for services provided to children should be sought.
•
Directed the MDA Board or Trustees to develop a legislative strategy in
conjunction with appropriate committees, districts, and groups, following
policies adopted by the House of Delegates, as well as information and advice
from the ADA, health care reform recommendations from legislative and
gubernatorial work groups, and other legislative processes and political
considerations. The Board of Trustees was also directed to provide information
about MDA legislative activities and priorities to members via publications and
meetings so that members will be better able to communicate with policymakers.
The House further directed the MDA to hold another “Dental Day at the Capitol”
in 2008 and to strongly encourage a large dentist attendance.
• Directed the MDA to continue its
partnership with the University of Minnesota School of Dentistry and the Board
of Dentistry to revise the law that prohibits the Board from disqualifying
internationally-educated dentists of non-accredited dental schools from taking
a clinical board examination solely on that basis, and to help, support, and
encourage internationally-educated dentists through outreach.
• Directed the MDA to hire and maintain an
exclusive, full-time lobbyist/government relations person who would attend
Board of Trustees meetings when deemed appropriate and be available for
questions and discussion by the Board, with any fiscal impact associated with
the hiring of the new lobbyist/government relations person being addressed by a
dues increase of up to $50 per member.
• Directed the MDA Dental Marketplace
Committee to study the potential illegal practice of dentistry by third parties
and report back to the 2008 House of Delegates.
• Directed the MDA to develop and maintain an
appropriate level of reserves relative to its current and future financial
obligations while providing optimal membership value. The target balance in
this fund shall be 40% of the MDA annual budgeted operating expenses,
consistent with the ADA
policy for its reserve fund. Funds in excess of this balance will be reported
back to the House of Delegates.
• Amended MDA Bylaws Chapter VI, Section 7F,
to delete the line stating that the Speaker be required to cast the deciding
vote in the event of a tie.
• Amended MDA Articles of Incorporation,
Article IV, Office, to include the new office address, as follows: 1335 Industrial Boulevard, Suite 200,
Minneapolis Minnesota
55413.
• Amended MDA Bylaws, Chapter II, Section 2A,
to set MDA membership dues at $795 for 2008.
• Directed the MDA to annually share income
from royalty programs with component district dental societies. The first
twenty percent of non-dues revenue will go to the MDA, and the remaining 80%
will be divided evenly between the MDA and component district dental societies,
with the amount allocated to each district to be determined by the number of
members in that district. For a district to participate in the non-dues revenue
sharing program, they must sign a participation agreement with the MDA whereby
the district would agree to support the MDA non-dues revenue sharing programs
and not endorse any competing programs. The districts can support the MDA by
including information about the endorsed programs in their newsletters and on
their Web sites, providing free booth space to the MDA for non-TDIC vendor
information at district meetings, and providing endorsed vendors with the
opportunity to make brief presentations at district meetings when appropriate
to the agenda.
• Amended MDA Bylaws, Chapter V, Section 11,
Action Without a Meeting, to allow meetings to be held either partially or
solely via remote communication provided that all notice and quorum
requirements are met.
• Directed the MDA Board of Trustees to
provide at least semi-annual reports to the membership describing actions taken
by the Association on adopted resolutions, and directed the MDA President to
give an annual report to the House of Delegates describing actions taken on all
adopted resolutions until they are fulfilled.
• Directed the MDA to develop a standard
performance review system for employees and contractors and report back on its
implementation to the 2008 House of Delegates.
• Directed the MDA to establish a Task Force
to investigate future technological needs and the resources required, including
but not limited to remote communication and new online member services.
• Adopted a budget for 2008.
The House of Delegates also:
• Recommended that the names of Dr. Dean
Singsank and Dr. Clayton Shepard be sent to the Governor to be considered for
appointment to a four-year term on the Minnesota Board of Dentistry.
• Elected Dr. Donna Stenberg (Stillwater) to fill the
vacated second term as Saint Paul District Trustee.
• Elected Dr. Michael Flynn (Winona) to a second term as Southeastern
District Trustee.
• Elected Dr. Roger Sjulson (Fosston) to a
second term as Northwestern District Trustee.
• Elected Mr. Brad Anderson (Little Canada)
as Student District Trustee, to begin April 1, 2008.
• Elected Dr. Lee Jess (Grand
Rapids) as President-Elect, Dr. R. Bruce Templeton (Edina) as First
Vice-President, and Dr. Timothy Flor (Waseca) as Second Vice-President.
• Installed 2007-2008 MDA officers and
trustees, including incoming President Dr. Jamie Sledd (Maple Grove).
• Elected Dr. Jamie Sledd, Dr. Timothy Flor,
and Dr. Michael Flynn to three-year terms as delegates to the ADA House of
Delegates beginning in 2008.
• Elected Drs. Robert Gardetto (Big Lake),
Patrick Lloyd (Minneapolis), John Nei (Alexandria), and the Second
Vice-President to be elected by the 2008 House of Delegates to one-year terms
as alternate delegates to the ADA House of Delegates in 2008.
The House of Delegates was pleased to
recognize the outstanding contributions of its members and to confer special
honors on the following individuals. The House officially:
• Presented Dr. George Winn with the
President’s Award. Dr. Winn is a past president of the MDA and has served on
various committees during his 41 years of membership, most recently sitting on
the Board of Directors of the Minnesota Dental Foundation. He and his wife Joan
reside in New Prague.
•
Announced that Dr. Ryan Ritchie (Detroit
Lakes) was presented a Certificate of
Appreciation at the School
of Dentistry Honor’s Day
in May for his service as Trustee from the Student District.
•
Announced that Dr. Donald Erickson will be sent a Certificate of Appreciation for
his service as Trustee to the Saint Paul District.
•
Honored outgoing MDA President Dr. Richard Wiberg (Mahtomedi) with the Past
President’s Award from the ADA,
a Certificate of Appreciation from the MDA, and the MDA Past President’s pin.
The next House of Delegates has been set for
September 19-20, 2008, at the Minneapolis Airport Marriott Hotel, Bloomington.
