ADHA COVID-19 UPDATES

Many states are now preparing to reopen the economy, including some dental offices, as early as this week. We need to unite and ensure our governors step up to support dental hygienists and ensure their access to appropriate PPE should their employer dental offices reopen. In order to protect the dental team and patients, ADHA continues to support the recommendations from CDC in recommending dental facilities postpone elective procedures, surgeries, and non-urgent dental visits, and prioritize urgent and emergency visits and procedures now and for the coming several weeks. Governors need to hear your concerns about returning to work. ADHA has launched a new advocacy campaign to ask governors to declare only emergency dental care be provided until we can ensure it is safe to return and alert our governors of the need for and concerns regarding the availability of appropriate PPE.

Governor Cuomo announced on March 29 that all NYS On Pause functions will be extended through April 15, including in-person workforce restrictions. See March 30 executive order.

President Trump signed the $2 trillion economic stimulus bill passed by Congress – CARES Act. Here are some of the provisions that may be helpful to dental hygienists, See also IRS Coronavirus Tax Relief website for additional information.

NYS is seeking healthcare professionals to assist in the emergency response to the COVID-19 crisis – see letter and survey for how you can help.

More than 49,000 messages have been sent to U.S. Congressional leaders from dental hygiene advocates in less than 24 hours! If you haven’t already, visit the Action Center now to urge legislators to include dental hygienists in the relief.

Check out the latest video from ADHA President, Matt Crespin, MPH, RDH with an update on the ADHA Congressional advocacy campaign:

On March 20, NYS issued guidance on the new NY PAUSE executive order that all non-essential businesses statewide must close in-office personnel functions effective Sunday, March 22 at 8 p.m. The guidance defines essential to include “doctors and emergency dental,” among others.

A Message from the Long Island Dental Hygienists’ Association

President Trump signed into law March 18, HR 6201, the Families First Coronavirus Response Act. We wanted to take a moment to provide some explanation of how this potentially affects employees, including the dental hygiene community.

Importantly, businesses with fewer than 50 employees can qualify for a narrow exemption if the Department of Labor determines that providing these benefits would jeopardize the viability of the business. Further, the Department of Labor has the authority to issue regulations exempting health care workers and emergency responders from the paid sick and family leave provisions.

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recommendations on elective surgery and procedures issued March 18, are particularly strong in their recommendation on dental procedures. Indeed, dental is singled out for particular emphasis. The CMS recommendations caution that:

“Dental procedures use PPE and have one of the highest risks of transmission due to the close proximity of the healthcare provider to the patient. To reduce the risk of spread and to preserve PPE, we are recommending that all non-essential dental exams and procedures be postponed until further notice.”

Another prong of the multi-faceted ADHA effort on behalf of its members will include exploring the inclusion of language in one of the future coronavirus relief bills that employees who are unable to work because they provide services that the government has recommended be “postponed until further notice” be compensated for the time they are unable to work. In addition, anticipating the efforts of organized dentistry, even before HR 6201 was enacted, ADHA President Crespin wrote to the President, the Speaker of the House, and the Senate Majority Leader urging that “dental hygienists are not prevented from receiving needed coronavirus-related employee benefits solely because they work in the health care field or because they often work on a part time basis or in a small office setting.”

ADHA is indeed at work on behalf of its members during this national public health and economic crisis. We will continue to share information with the dental hygiene community as it becomes available.

ADHA President Matt Crespin, MPH, RDH, sent a letter to President Trump, Speaker Pelosi, and Majority Leader McConnell to encourage the federal government to consider dental hygienists and other oral health care providers as they develop targeted relief measures and employee benefits. The letter further encourage the federal government to “ensure that dental hygienists are not prevented from receiving needed coronavirus-related employee benefits solely because they work in the health care field or because they often work on a part time basis or in a small office setting.”

Matt’s Letter Available Here