July 2015 Newswire
What an exciting few months we have had within MDHA! Fireworks are definitely going off as we move the profession of dental hygiene forward…and upward!!
May and June proved to be exceptional with many graduations and pinning ceremonies being held, celebrating the success of our new RDH colleagues!
Congratulations again to all new Registered Dental Hygienists and welcome to your profession!!
Many of you may already know, but we are pleased to share the news that Governor Snyder passed the budget for 2015-16 to include expansion of Healthy Kids Dental (HKD) to all counties. Children from ages 0-12 will now benefit from this program in Oakland, Wayne and Kent counties, providing all 88 counties in Michigan with the HKD program. We thanked the Governor through our Twitter account (#MIdentalhygiene), and he re-tweeted, along with one of his staff! So exciting!!!!
Your MDHA leadership has held meetings with leaders from the Michigan Osteopathic Association, the Michigan Dental Association, and coming soon, Trinity Health, along with many others. These meetings open the door for opportunities to mutually benefit each organization and help us collaborate on initiatives involving oral and overall health. This will strengthen our network and build upon our goal of bringing harmony to the dental hygiene profession.
Be sure to check out the Membership Council section for details on the Inaugural Oral Cancer Foundation Walk/Run for Awareness on August 2nd in Birmingham, Michigan!! This is a great opportunity to involve your colleagues, family and friends to get some exercise and support the campaign for early detection of oral cancer!
Speaking of opportunity, your Delegates and Alternate Delegates had a great experience during Annual Session in Nashville! Be sure to read the special section titled ADHA Annual Session 2015 for updates and photos. If you have not been to ADHA’s Annual Session, it’s a must!!
So, mark your calendars for next year in Pittsburgh, June 8-14, 2016!!
In other ADHA news, we will welcome a new Chief Operating Officer in July. His name is Bob Moore, CAE and he brings a wealth of association management experience with him. You can read more in this press release. He will be a great addition to our team in Chicago!
Finally, we know the summer months are a break for many, but your MDHA leaders have been busy moving our profession forward, not only with outside initiatives, but also focusing internally on our Component restructuring, our annual budget, working with our lobbying firm on legislative priorities, planning for House of Delegates in October, and the list goes on.
It is important that you understand that we do all of this for you and the profession of dental hygiene! So, stay connected, get involved, and participate in making a difference locally, at the State level and even nationally! The only way to go is “upward!”
In harmony…
Kathy Mielke, BS, RDH
MDHA President