ADA Washington Leadership Conference First-Time Impressions for MDA Staff, Member


Every spring hundreds of dentists gather together in the nation’s capital to advocate for their patients, profession and their practice. All ADA member dentists are invited to join their colleagues to speak with One Voice United on Capitol Hill. All ADA Action Team Leaders are partially funded by the ADA to attend the conference and meet with their legislator. The MDA thanks those members who participate! This year was the first time attending for Katie Reichard, MDA Legislative and Regulatory Director, and Dr. Kyle Lisenby, a general dentist who is clinical director and co-owner of Plaza Dental Group in Columbia. They recount their experiences following.


by KATIE REICHARD E


very day, I receive the ADA’s Morning Huddle delivered to my email inbox. It is loaded with information, articles and links, all pertinent to what is happening in the world of oral health care—both stateside and beyond. I am amazed that while there clearly never fails to be an abundance of issues to report on, the ADA manages to keep things so organized that I often use this Huddle as either a reference point or resource when cor- responding with legislators or their staff.


Noting my limited tenure here, I had the opportunity to see this organization at what I consider to be its finest hour at the Wash- ington Leadership Conference this past April. Delegates and staff from state dental associa- tions across the country all gathered in our nation’s capital to discuss important legisla- tive issues amongst ourselves prior to bending the ear of Congressional members and their staff. The MDA had multiple delegates meet- ing with each Congressional member from Missouri (or one of their staff) during our short time there. As I mentioned above, there isn’t a shortage of issues in which we find oral health care, and so our delegates were tasked with lobbying for a few items listed under the ADA’s Action for Dental Health agenda for 2015 (see a list of these in Dr. Lisenby’s article, next page).


Prior to championing for our cause, Vicki and I had the opportunity to meet with state PAC representatives from all over the country. It was there that we discussed how to increase numbers, how to communicate more ef- fectively with those members, and how to be more prominent within our state legislatures. I found the information at that seminar to be invaluable for my work here at the MDA.


18 focus | MAY/JUN 2015 | ISSUE 3


I hope you will see some of the ideas I took away from there as I continue to settle into this position.


Aside from seminars and lobby- ing pointers, the ADA also ar- ranged for a keynote speaker to address the entire WLC delega- tion the night before our Capitol Hill appoint- ments. Chuck Todd is the Political Director for NBC News, and moderator of Meet the Press. He has seen presidents come and go, and lived to tell about it! He spoke of what to expect out of state politics, why there are no term limits foreseeable on the horizon for our legislators in DC, and what really drives national policy: special interest groups. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t a tad taken back that he pointed his finger at groups just like the ADA for undermining policy at both the national and state levels, but I never took offense to his words. He sounded like a true skeptic weathered by too many years writing about a body that is ever-evolving, and yet somehow unchanging at the same time.


Even though he laid some of the fault for failed politics at our feet, he also said we have the ability to change what seems to be broken in Washington. He encouraged individuals to run locally and statewide to begin to affect change. He applauded us for getting involved, and for taking an interest in something that, at times, seems doomed.


Our delegates were indeed interested and involved, as they spoke confidently and articulately about these few issues to Missouri’s congressional members and their staff. Since our time in DC, the three issues


we championed for have received 55 addi- tional co-sponsors, and more than 1,000 ADA members have contacted their representa- tives to encourage further support. If the way to affect change is to become involved on any level of government, based on my experience at this year’s WLC, I would say MDA mem- bers are among some of the most able-bodied to do so. f


At the end of April, the ADA released “Action for Dental Health Year Two: A Progress Report,” which outlines the initiatives, goals and progress to date of the association’s nationwide, community-based movement to improve the nation’s oral health, especially people who lack adequate access to regular dental care. The report highlights the achievements of dentists and community partners who have developed models of care that fit their communities’ unique needs. The UMKC School of Dentistry is featured on page 5 of the report. Read the report at www.ada.org/~/media/ADA/Public%20 Programs/Files/Action_for_Dental_ Health_Year_Two_Progress_Report.ashx.


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40