March 2015 Newswire
Well, we are almost to the first day of Spring, so we all deserve the title of survivor! We made it!! Soon, the days will be longer, the weather warmer and nature will be blossoming into beautiful colors! As we “spring ahead” this time of year, it is a perfect opportunity to “spring” into your professional association and become involved with others that truly care about Registered Dental Hygienists. It is common to hear “what does my dental hygiene association do for me?” and I tell you, we are blossoming, too!
In the last two months, we have been collaborating with other professional organizations to expand outreach and promote oral health and wellness. We are teaming up with Oral Health America (Chicago) to host a community-based health education workshop for older adults. We will be connecting with the Altarum Institute to learn about an opportunity to reduce the burden of childhood disease in Michigan through the Michigan Caries Prevention Program. We also have partnered with the Michigan Department of Community Health to be involved with the Count Your Smiles program, which will begin this Fall. Check our website under Resources, Volunteer Opportunities to find many ways you can “blossom” and make a difference as an RDH!
We have been strengthening our advocacy efforts through our support of the Healthy Kids Dental expansion, as well as educating almost 50 new Legislators and their staff about Registered Dental Hygienists and our value to the healthcare profession (be sure to review the upcoming Legislative Alert)!
Your Constituent is becoming more fluid with technology as we have added Paypal to our website, and we are excited to announce that we now have a Twitter account, #MIdentalhygiene, which is also linked to our website! We are making progress with redistricting of our Components to be more effective and efficient as we transform the profession of dental hygiene. And, we have numerous CE events throughout the State – just view the Events Calendar on our website for details.
Now, grab your calendars and mark these important dates so that you can take advantage of a small portion of what MDHA offers!
- April 22nd-25th ~ Spirit of Michigan meeting, Lansing Center, Lansing
- May 2nd ~ Board of Trustees meeting, Okemos
- May 13th ~ Legislative Luncheon, House Office Building, Lansing
Embrace the opportunity to be involved in something bigger than yourself and truly appreciate the value of your professional association! We are a “blooming” business and we look forward to continued growth with YOU!
In harmony…
KATHY MIELKE, BS, RDH
MDHA President