Marquette University incorporates the state legislative day into its core curriculum, and this year, all D2s and D3s attended the event. Students joined forces with the Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) to speak against the bill with one voice. Here are highlights from the 2019 legislative day.
I remember my first Advocacy Academy, hosted by the Arizona Dental Association (AzDA). I was nervous about participating in my first ASDA legislative event. I had never considered myself interested in politics before dental school; in fact, the topic made me uneasy. So why did I get up on a Saturday morning to come to this event?
There is no shortage of news, facts or statistics on the opioid epidemic. As a dental student, you’ve probably been inundated with this information. ASDA’s Council on Advocacy wants to help you make sense of the crisis and the ways you can advocate for your patients. The council held an expert panel to assess the epidemic through the dental profession lens. Perspectives on organized dentistry, interprofessional efforts and legislative actions were discussed to help students understand the issue. Here are the key takeaways you should know as you begin to combat the opioid epidemic.
Navigating the licensure landscape can be tricky. It’s hard to know where to start or who to talk to when attempting reform in your state. ASDA wants to help. This video provides six easy steps to help you achieve reform in your state. The first step is to contact your ASDA district trustee. Watch to learn what the other five steps entail.
Lobby Day. Hundreds of dental students gathered in Washington, D.C. to meet with senators and representatives from their states. The goal: to lobby for dentists, patients and dental students on behalf of the profession. If you have attended Lobby Day, you know the thrill of scampering around the nation’s capitol.
For most students, this is not the case. Dental school is tough and time-consuming, which makes travel across the country difficult. But all is not lost when it comes to advocacy. Being in the nation’s capitol delivering your message is incredible, but not always feasible. One of the best places to meet with a member of Congress is in their respective district.
On January 20, 2017, President Donald Trump was inaugurated as the 45th president of the United States. Just a week before the inauguration, both the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate passed budget resolutions that serve as initial steps in repealing the Affordable Care Act (ACA). President Trump’s health care reform plan strongly supports the repeal of the ACA, and make no mention of dentistry or oral health, perpetuating the status quo of oral health being left out of general health. As the country faces a major potential shift in health policy, it’s important that we consider how this may affect our profession.
Election season is always an exciting time in the United States. On November 8, 2016, Americans took to the polls to not only vote for elected officials, but to also weigh in on state, local and federal measures. This year, residents of three California cities – Albany, Oakland and San Francisco – and Boulder, Colorado, had the opportunity to voice their opinions on ballot measures to implement taxes on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). Additionally, the Cook County Board of Commissioners voted on implementing a sugar tax in Cook County, Illinois on November 10, 2016.
