The House of the Delegates

MOLLY PEREIRA, CDA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

On June 9 the Colorado Dental Association (CDA) hosted its 136th Annual Session and House of Delegates meeting.

What do these formal words mean? And how have there been 136 of these annual sessions? Chances are, if you’re reading this, you fit into one of these three categories:

1. You’re a current voting CDA delegate or a past delegate and you know what all of these words mean.

2. You know of these words and their meaning, but you’ve never been to the meeting or registered to be a member of the governing delegation for the CDA.

3. You’re wondering if you’re missing out on some sort of dental Game of Thrones opportunity.

Number 3 people—you are missing out. While we have had a sword appear in the House of Delegates (not kidding), there are no kingdoms battling for the Iron Throne. Rather there are 100 CDA members having moderated discussion and debate on numerous topics affecting the dental profession. This room of dentists governs the CDA and directs the CDA in its future endeavors. If you are in the House of Delegates (and, by the way, any CDA member is welcome to serve as a delegate), you tell us, the CDA, how to defeat dragons and give us future directives.

A membership organization means the members collectively run the association. Meetings like this are necessary so CDA can work best for you.

At this year’s House, we had a full slate of business, which comes in the form of resolutions. There were 34 resolutions that ranged from dental assistants scope of practice to anesthesia permits to third party payor studies to CDA bylaws changes.

You can read the full transactions report here: cdaonline.org/hod

For a quick summary of highlights and big decisions, see below.

• There were 23 resolutions tied to the Sunset Review of the Colorado Dental Practice Act. A Sunset Review usually happens every 10 years; it is a review and update of every Colorado law that governs dentistry. It is a BIG deal. A CDA committee of dentists reads literally every line of the Colorado Dental Practice Act and makes suggestions for edits and changes. These suggestions come to the House of Delegates so you can vote to tell the CDA how we should represent you in front of DORA and the legislature.

• Resolution 32-23-HS brought substantial discussion and debate regarding an increased scope of practice for dental assistants in reaction to the workforce shortage. This resolution directs the CDA to submit a Sunrise Review application to DORA addressing the expansion of dental assistants’ scope of care. The application is due at the end of the year, and once submitted, DORA will consider whether authorizing dental assistants to perform some expanded functions like scaling would require licensing, registration or certification from the state of Colorado. Dental assistants are not currently regulated by the state. The Sunrise Review would also likely consider any education or supervision requirements for this change. The CDA Dental Assistant Scope of Care Task Force has begun work on this application, alongside the CDA Government Relations Council. The actions made by the CDA House of Delegates do not authorize dental offices to allow dental assistants to practice outside of their limited scope at this time. Rather it directs the CDA to engage DORA to consider this provider scope concept.

• Resolution 31-23-B and Resolution 35-23-B extended the work of the Dental Assistant Scope of Care Task Force and the Workforce Task Force, respectively. Resolution 33-23-B created a new task force to focus on third party payor issues to aid the CDA’s legislative policy initiative planning.

• The CDA Bylaws were changed by Resolution 26-23-BS and Resolution 29-23-B. Resolution 26-23-BS modified the bylaws by allowing the CDA Board of Trustees to remove a board member for cause, such as violating the CDA Code of Conduct or acting in a manner that doesn’t represent the best interest of the association. Resolution 29-23-B incorporated the Arkansas Valley Dental Society into the Southeastern Colorado Dental Society, reducing the number of local dental society components to 10.

• Resolution 27-23-B focused on mental health, creating a CDA priority and commitment to protecting the well-being of our members. Through the CDA Member Assistance Program (cdaonline.org/ wellness), the association already provides a robust free therapy service to members and their household members. This resolution simply strengthens our commitment to this important topic.

The CDA House of Delegates meets every year and we need to hear from members at this meeting so we can best advocate on your behalf and provide services to help you professionally and personally. We’re stronger together and I encourage you to take advantage of the many benefits you receive as a member of organized dentistry.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Molly Pereira is the executive director of the Colorado Dental Association. She has served the CDA for the past 21 years in various roles including communications, government relations, event planning and access-to-care charitable programs.