September 2014 Newswire
Autumn signals many events, harvest time, the first day of school, football, and the Michigan Dental Hygienists’ annual House of Delegates. Last year we celebrated our 90th anniversary. We have entered the last decade of our first one hundred years. We need to make it count. My theme for this year was “Frame Your Future and Together Lets Frame the Future of the Michigan Dental Hygienists’ Association”.
Be a part of the change. If you have never attended a house of delegates, make this one your first. It is a powerful experience. It is being held at the Troy Marriott in Troy, MI on October 17-19, 2014. When calling to make reservations reference, House of Delegates. (248-680-9797) I look forward to seeing you there.
We are planning an all day seminar on the Friday prior to opening ceremonies of the House of Delegates. Our seminar should prove to be not only informative but exciting. Health care delivery systems are changing, driven by access to care issues and the demand for affordable quality health care. As a profession we need to be proactive and prepared for what the future holds for dental hygienists. We have two speakers planned. The morning session will feature Beth Nicely, our district V trustee to ADHA, providing us with the new strategic plan ADHA has adopted to better position dental hygienists for the future. She will explain how ADHA plans to provide the profession of dental hygiene with the necessary credentials to be acknowledged as the primary care providers of preventive oral health. The afternoon session will feature Kathy Sheppard explaining how to educationally prepare the dental hygienist to the next level, as the advanced practice dental hygienist. Following the seminar there will be a welcome reception where you can mingle with friends, old and new. Friday evening is the opening ceremonies and our keynote speaker will be Kathy Sheppard, focusing on empowerment. We are stronger in numbers, we need a strong voice to send a strong message, be a part of that voice. We are dental hygienists, we are the preventive oral health care specialists, let’s send our message loud and clear. If not a member, join. This is our time and this is your time, join today at ADHA.org
Respectfully submitted,
Cheryl Bentley, RDH
MDHA President