Report of 2016 ADHA's CLL & 93rd Annual Session in Pittsburgh, PA
By Suzanne Macomber, CDA, RDH, BS
2016 Florida Delegate to ADHA
(Suzanne is on the far right)
Dear Fellow Dental Hygienist,
I truly enjoyed representing the Northeast Florida Dental Hygiene Association (NEFDHA) as District IV delegate in Pittsburgh, PA. It was an incredible experience! To gather with other professional dental hygienists with such talents as educators, clinicians, public health employees and advocates pursuing goals in legislation with concerns for improving access to oral health care in our wonderful country was amazing! The Florida Dental Hygiene Association (FDHA) is a very dynamic group of empowering, intellectual professionals who strive to achieve great goals for the members of their professional organization. The American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) is committed to supporting ideal oral health for all people and is dedicated to collaborative partnerships and coalitions to make oral health services more accessible nationwide.
I met the members of the District IV Team via webinars prior to the ADHA 2016 CLL/Annual Session and we were able to discuss proposed resolutions (PR) and Proposed Bylaws (PBY) that were going to be voted on at the House of Delegates (HOD) meetings in Pittsburgh. We collaborated and resolved our concerns in a very efficient and professional manner. After a few webinars we were ready for our face-to-face meeting at Annual Session.
Upon arrival in Pittsburgh, I participated in the 5K fundraiser with the District IV “Trailblazers” that was very successful. Over the next few days, I attended the President’s Awards for Excellence luncheon, the District IV dinner, in addition to the HOD Mega Issue Discussion: Governance of Tomorrow. The District IV delegates attended and participated in all three HOD meetings that were very productive.
An important topic of conversation this year involves a Charter Agreement that was forwarded from the ADHA to every Constituent (State) including Florida (FDHA). The Charter Agreement formalizes the contractual obligations between all national Constituents and ADHA in order to create consistency, control trademarks, ensure legal, fiduciary and ethical compliance as an incorporated tax exempt trade organization, namely a 501(c)6. This document is often used for organizations such as ours. Implementing this Charter Agreement is required by November 2018. Currently the FDHA Board of Trustees (BOT) has retained legal counsel to review and discuss the Charter Agreement prior to signing, has requested an extension and has until October 15, 2016 to sign. California recently seceded from the ADHA and it is possible that Florida could do the same.
Your voices are imperative and to better understand what the Charter Agreement entails, please arrange to attend the FDHA HOD Annual Session from September 16-18, 2016 in Orlando, Florida at the Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista by registering online at http://www.fdha.org. In the event that you are unable to attend, please voice your concerns by contacting the FDHA BOT at this email address: Feedback@fdha.org.
The Governance Design Session was very interesting and the structure of the ADHA was the topic of conversation as it has not been updated or changed in almost 100 years! Three draft models for restructuring the ADHA and drivers of change regarding relevance of the future were discussed. It was awe inspiring to participate in such an historical moment by offering suggestions for the governance of tomorrow!
FDHA salutes our newly elected ADHA President Betty Kabel, RDH, BS, from Ft. Walton Beach, FL. (picture below) Betty has been a member of ADHA since 1992, was a founder of Emerald Coast Dental Hygiene Association (ECDHA), FDHA Past President and former District IV trustee. Congratulations, Betty! FDHA is very proud of you! Betty plans on building bridges, collaborating, and creating coalitions.
Next year's ADHA's 94th Annual Session will take place in JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA! See you in Jacksonville! Register at http://www.adha.org/annual-session.
Respectfully submitted by District IV Delegate; Suzanne Macomber, CDA, RDH, BS
Respectfully submitted by District IV Delegate; Suzanne Macomber, CDA, RDH, BS