ADHA UNVEILS NEW FORMAT AT 85TH ANNUAL SESSION IN ALBUQUERQUE

Chicago–June 4, 2008–More than 1,100 registered dental hygienists (RDH) from across the United States will travel to Albuquerque, N.M. to experience to the new format for the 85th annual session of the American Dental Hygienists’ Association (ADHA) June 18-25.

News Highlights

ADHA Unveils New Meeting format

For the first time since their inception, ADHA will combine the Center for Lifelong Learning and Annual Session. The newly formatted meeting will feature a variety of continuing education career tracks on the front end, and the ADHA business meetings on the back end.

Center for Lifelong Learning

Designed to offer the most opportunity and entertainment for the attendees, the career tracks have been designed around the variety of roles hygienists perform, and the complete spectrum of the stages of their careers. Tracks were established for:

• Clinicians
• Educators
• Lifestyles and Careers
• Students

For attendees who are looking to mix-and-match sessions are available on and individual basis as well. Counting the variety of general attendee sessions the registrants have 28 sessions to choose from that fit their interests and their schedules.

85th Annual Session

Following the Center for Lifelong Learning will be the newly formatted 85th Annual Session. Attendees will be a part of a number of sessions which will focus on a variety of topics from the expanded duties of dental hygienists across the country, to year two of the new ADHA brand. These sessions will help attendees to better understand the transformations occurring both within, and outside of ADHA.

Year Two of the New ADHA Brand

The new ADHA brand was unveiled at last year’s Annual Session in New Orleans. On the one year anniversary of this momentous event, ADHA will implement even more efforts to empower, support and develop dental hygienists. After working with a five state partnership and empanelling young professional focus groups across the country, ADHA will expand our efforts to reach out to students and young professionals try to work with our local partners to enhance he state and local experience. The goal is to take what’s best about ADHA membership and make it even better.

An ADHA Branding Workshop on Monday, June 23rd, will be open to attendees to come and learn about the new strategy and how it will affect each of them, as well as their peers at the local level. Lead by ADHA staff, the session will also feature a presentation by Tim Prosch of Contact Points who has lead the ADHA branding efforts since day one.

Advocacy/Legislative Workshop

In the past year there have been a number of legislative advances in the dental hygiene arena. Join ADHA’s Governmental Affairs staff to discuss the many success, learn effective advocacy strategies, and plan for the events of the coming year.

On Monday, June 23 the Public Health Workshop will offer attendees a 360-degree perspective on collaborative practice in New Mexico via a panel presentation that features the provider, payer, and consumer perspectives. The workshop will include a dental hygienist who works under a collaborative practice agreement, a representative from Delta Dental New Mexico, one of the state's largest insurance companies, and an area consumer.

The panel will provide and overview of how the various entities within the state work together to deliver oral health have and develop an informed consumer base. The workshop will also provide attendees with time to network with dental hygiene colleagues to discuss public health and other professional issues.

Healthy Smile Community Service Day

Kicking off the Center for Lifelong Learning at the 85th Annual Session, ADHA will be sponsoring “Healthy Smile” a free preventive clinic at the University of New Mexico Dental Hygiene Clinic. On Wednesday, June 18th, from 2:30-5:00 p.m. a variety of free dental services will be provided to elementary school children ages 3-12, including: cleanings and exams, sealants, and patient education. Toothbrushes and toothpaste will be provided to patients.

Dental decay (cavities) is the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting 50 percent of children by middle childhood and nearly 70 percent by late adolescence. Fortunately most oral diseases can be prevented. As a lack of access to dental care continues to afflict communities throughout the U.S., it is important to utilize the community service mindset integral to the dental hygiene profession.

For more information on any of these topics please visit www.adha.org.

ADHA is the largest national organization representing the professional interests of the more than 150,000 dental hygienists across the country. Dental hygienists are preventive oral health professionals, licensed in dental hygiene, who provide educational, clinical and therapeutic services that support total health through the promotion of optimal oral health. For more information about ADHA, dental hygiene or the link between oral health and general health, visit ADHA at http://www.adha.org.

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