Forging the Future through the MDA Strategic Plan


by VICKI WILBERS | EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR


Future. To forge is to form something by heating and hammering. It requires effort, talent and persistence.


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As professionals, business owners and lead- ers, the concept of strategic planning likely is not foreign to you, and perhaps you do some- thing similar for your practice and team. If so, you know that good plans take forging to create but can yield solid results.


Strategic planning helps the MDA achieve success by defining our direction, setting goals and developing a plan to achieve them. It also provides a continual process for reviewing and reporting with the ability for nimble adjustments by the MDA along the way.


One of the biggest changes in the new strate- gic plan is a new mission statement: Helping All Dental Professionals Succeed. It’s similar to the former mission, Helping All Members Succeed.


Why the change? The Board felt this was an important and needed expansion. The MDA’s programs and efforts have always sought to be of value to all dental professionals – espe- cially in the areas of advocacy and education. But in the four years post Covid, and the subsequent workforce shortages in Missouri, the mission of “helping all dentists succeed” seemed to leave out a large portion of what MDA should and does consistently strive for: helping to ensure a successful dental team. This is an irreplaceable aspect of helping dentists succeed and helping patients receive the oral health care they need.


The updated mission statement encompasses MDA’s gold standards within our allied education programs, including the recent


t its August meeting, the MDA Board adopted a new strategic plan that will span from 2025- 2028. It’s entitled Forging the


creation of the MDA Basic Skills In-Person Review, our long-standing EFDA pro- gram, and a newly approved nitrous course set to launch in 2025. These, in addition to the ongoing work of the OPA EFDA pilot project which commenced this December, continue to provide a robust set of courses to help member dentists through excellence in dental team education and upskilling. And our work isn’t just for dental assistants. We recognize the integral role dental hygienists provide to patient care. Thus, we’re advocating their scope be enhanced to positively impact the profession. This includes the recent allow- ance for dental hygienists to practice local anesthesia under general supervision which also became effective December 1. With these current conditions, the expanded mission made complete sense – and with this in mind, the MDA’s strategic planning goals and objectives were reviewed and revised.


I share these broad strokes below along with my assessment about where we are “win- ning” and where we have room for growth and improvement. I hope you’ll read through these and give me feedback as we forge ahead so this plan guides us to deliver valuable programs that benefit you, your team and your practice.


GOAL 1: PROFESSIONAL IMPACT


Equipping Dental Professionals to Flourish in Every Stage of Their Journey


Wins: The MDA has a strong presence at our three Missouri dental schools. We are con- sistently visible at various events throughout the year to remind students how we are with them from the beginning of their dental


1.2 Ensure a committed culture of diversity and inclusion 1.3 Foster a culture of well-being for dental professionals


Goal 2: Financial & Organizational Stability Ensure Financial & Organizational Stability to Serve the Profession with


Integrity 2.1 Total revenue including dues and non-dues revenue, will increase 2-4% annually  Reserve funds are a minimum of 50% of annual operating expense  Non-dues revenue are a minimum of 50% of total revenue


2.2 Ensure a sustainable membership model and dues structure for continued growth 2.3 Focused on increased engagement opportunities with Members & Customers (non-members) 2.4 Ensure state and local component society alignment and support 2.5 Ensure alignment of the MDA and its subsidiary organizations for continued mutual success 2.6 Ensure the MDA organizational structure is adaptive for continued success


Goal 3: Community Impact


Advocate for Improving the Profession and the Oral Health of the Public 3.1 Leverage partnerships and outreach opportunities to improve all aspects of the oral health of Missouri citizens


3.2 Sustain and increase involvement for legislative initiatives 3.3 Ensure continual improvement of the Missouri Dental Medicaid program


Missouri Dental Association FORGING THE FUTURE 2025-2028


Mission Statement: Helping All Dental Professionals Succeed


Goal 1: Professional Impact Equipping Dental Professionals to flourish in Every Stage of Their Journey


1.1 Focus on dental professionals’ needs in an ever-changing environment while broadening engagement opportunities and benefit offerings with an eye toward increasing market share


careers and throughout their professional lives. Similarly, we always are working to strengthen our New Dentist offerings. We have created the New Dentist Network, a Facebook group with almost 350 members, to encourage community and conversation. We have a strong showing of new and early career dentists who make up the MDA Board of Trustees, including a representative from our New Dentist Committee. They consider ways we can be active at the state level, but how also we can help connect with new dentists on the local level.


Opportunities: While the MDA has always offered clinical and practice CE, what we’re hearing is that our members, especially those just getting started in practice, need more leadership development to be the leader in their practice settings. This only enhances our new mission by helping the dental professionals working under their leadership. The ADA has recently developed a program, and we are looking at how that could fit our state or if we need to create something unique to Missouri. Another important area related to flourishing is wellness.


CONTINUED NEXT PAGE ISSUE 4 | WINTER 2024 | focus 11


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