Message from the ODA President

Emerge

Chris Fagan, DDS ODA President

"My goal for the year was very simple: I wanted our organization to emerge from the weight of COVID that has been hanging over us for the past 18 months."

Several ODA past presidents told me early on that my year of presidency would fly by. They weren’t wrong. It’s hard to believe it’s been seven months since I was installed. My goal for the year was very simple: I wanted our organization to emerge from the weight of COVID that has been hanging over us for the past 18 months. The ODA offers so many benefits but, in my opinion, the greatest benefit is the camaraderie and fellowship we share as members of this profession. My goal was for us to safely get back together and return to some semblance of normal. I’m pleased to report that the Oklahoma Dental Association is well on its way to accomplishing that goal. July 30 marked the first time in many months that a meeting was held at the ODA building. The Annual Meeting Planning Committee met to prepare for the upcoming ODA Annual Meeting being held in OKC next April. More on that later... It was so refreshing to be face to face with the ODA staff and the members of that committee. I don’t think we’ll ever get away from Zoom calls, but conducting the business of the ODA is so much more enjoyable and productive in person! We have hosted two happy-hour events recently in Oklahoma City and Tulsa, and it was great to see everyone. We are also hosting a day at the Tulsa Zoo for you and your families on November 13, 9am-5pm. This is a free event to members. If you would like to participate, please contact Madison at the ODA office. Out of an abundance of caution, we decided to cancel the Oklahoma Mission of Mercy last year. I’m happy to announce that OkMOM will be held in Shawnee on Feb 4-5, 2022. Preparations are currently under way to hold a safe and productive event for everyone involved. Volunteer registration opened October 15 and I hope you’ll sign up for a shift or two at okmom. org. The ODA Annual Meeting will be held next April 1-2 at the new Oklahoma City Convention Center and Omni hotel. Dr. Blaire Bowers Erstenuik, annual meeting chair, and Dr. David Wong have arranged a phenomenal lineup of speakers. The meeting will offer over 40 hours of CE including ethics and opioid training. There will also be several opportunities for hands-on training. Look for your registration packet soon and be sure to sign up after January 1.

The Oklahoma Dental Association and 20 other state medical associations are currently involved in the fight of our lives. As most of you know, Governor Stitt is attempting to push the Oklahoma Health Care Authority into a managed-care system. To put it simply, he wants to turn over OHCA to insurance companies instead of maintaining the state-run system we currently have. This move would negatively affect the quality of health care patients would receive and would significantly increase the cost of this care to the state of Oklahoma. The governor was able to push his agenda through the Legislature at the end of last session. Less than one month later the Oklahoma Supreme Court ruled that OHCA did not have the authority to enter into contracts with these managed care companies without the Legislature’s approval. This fight is not over; this is likely just the beginning. Recently the governor removed the only two medical professionals from the OHCA Board because they were not in line with his agenda. I wrote an article that was published in The Oklahoman that explained our disdain with his actions. The fact that a board with no representation from the medical community is managing the health and dental care of close to one million Oklahomans is simply unacceptable. Governor Stitt is continuing his efforts to implement managed care and we will be looking for your support in the upcoming year as this fight continues.

Looking forward to the remaining five months of my term, I can’t help but be excited and optimistic. We should all be very proud that our own Dr. Raymond Cohlmia has taken over the leadership of the American Dental Association as its new executive director. His vision for the future of the ADA, and dentistry in general, is refreshing. The future of dentistry in Oklahoma is also in great hands as our immediate past president, Dr. Paul Mullasseril, has been named Dean of the OU College of Dentistry. I look forward to seeing all of you in person in the very near future.