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American Dental Education Association

Volume 1, No. 88, November 24, 2020

ADEA Advocacy in Action

This appears weekly in the ADEA Advocate to summarize and provide direct links to recent advocacy actions taken by ADEA. Please let us know what you think and how we might improve its usefulness.

 

Dental School COVID Related Capital Needs

Sep 25 – Joint in Support of Supplemental COVID-19 Relief

Aug 5 – Joint Regarding Institutional Aid

 

Other COVID Issues

Nov 20 – Joint in support of Borrower Relief extension

Nov 6 – ADEA regarding inclusion of dental professionals and students in national vaccination strategy

Sep 22 – Joint regarding authorization of dental professionals to administer vaccine

Sep 4 – ADEA on Equitable Distribution of Vaccines

 

Additional Resources

ADEA on State Advocacy

NHSC Service Loan Repayment Program and application

For a full list of ADEA Letters and Policy Memos, click .
ADEA’s Summary of State and Federal Loan Forgiveness Programs Updated

 

ADEA’s for oral health professionals has been updated for the new year and is now available. The summary includes information on state-sponsored loan forgiveness programs, states participating in the Health Resources and Services Administration’s (HRSA) state loan repayment program and states participating in the HRSA National Health Service Corps loan repayment program and other federal programs.

 

A complete list of HRSA loan repayment and scholarship programs that are available to dental and dental hygiene students and faculty may be found on .

Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccines Prove 95% Effective

 

Pfizer and Moderna released better than expected results from their coronavirus Phase 3 studies. Having completed the efficacy portion of their vaccine trial, the vaccine has a 95% effective rate. Approximately 43,661 volunteers participated in the trial with no serious safety concerns reported. The trial data show that out of 170 cases of coronavirus, 162 were in the placebo group, and eight were in the vaccine group. Out of 10 cases of severe coronavirus, nine had received a placebo. The Pfizer vaccine requires long-term storage at a temperature of -94 degrees Fahrenheit, which limits accessibility to the vaccine, and lasts for only five days in conventional refrigeration.

 

Though Moderna’s Phase 3 vaccine trial is ongoing, shows the vaccine to have a 94.5% efficacy rate. There were 95 cases of infection among patients in the company’s 30,000-patient trial. Only five of the infections occurred in patients who received the actual Moderna vaccine. These five people only experienced mild symptoms. Eleven of the 95 cases of infection experienced severe coronavirus. However, all of the 11 severely ill people had received the placebo. The Moderna vaccine’s long-term storage requires a temperature of only - 4 degrees Fahrenheit, and it will last for 30 days in conventional refrigeration.

 

Pfizer plans to submit its Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) application shortly, with Moderna submitting its EUA as early as late November or early December.

President-elect Biden Transition

 

We do not know exactly what President-elect Joseph Biden will propose once he takes office on Jan. 20, but we can look at what he has said and advocated as a candidate for ideas. In , we can expect that the Biden Administration will be focus heavily on strengthening community colleges. The incoming First Lady, Dr. Jill Biden, has taught at community colleges for several years.

 

Similarly, with , the President-elect has stated that he will defend the Affordable Care Act and will propose measures to improve it, including a public option for those unable to find affordable plans in the individual market. Learn more about the Transition .

House Holds Leadership Elections for 117th Congress

 

The Democrats and Republicans held their leadership elections for the upcoming 117th Congress last week. It was no surprise that U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) will remain Speaker of the House, U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) remains as Majority Leader and U.S. Rep. James Clyburn (D-S.C.) stays on as Majority Whip. U.S. Rep. Hakim Jefferies (D-N.Y.) also retained his position as Chairman of the Democratic Caucus. For the Republicans, U.S. Rep. Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) was re-elected as Republican Minority Leader. U.S. Rep. Steve Scalise (R-La.) was re-elected as Minority Whip and U.S. Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), daughter of former Vice-President Dick Cheney, was re-elected as Republican Conference Chair.

 

Given the slim majority margin, Pelosi will have to walk a fine line between the moderates and progressives to keep her caucus unified behind the Democratic party’s legislative agenda.
California Budget Analysts Predict Surprising Budget Surplus

 

On Nov. 18, budget analysts for the state of California released a that predicts a surprising $26-billion surplus for the state in fiscal year (FY) 2021-22. Earlier analyses near the beginning of the COVID-19 predicted the state would face a deficit of over $50 billion, and as a result, the state increased taxes, cut spending and borrowed money from its rainy-day fund. However, the new analysis found that than anticipated as the pandemic disproportionately impacted the job security of lower wage workers, and most workers earning higher wages continued to work from home and pay taxes. According to one source, the the legislature to restore $299 million in cuts, as well additional funding for a mandatory ethnic studies requirement and $150 million for a graduation initiative that intends to increase graduation rates and close racial equity gaps.

 

However, not all of the news is positive for the state as the budget analysis also predicts growing multi-year budget deficits that are expected to increase to nearly $17 billion by FY 2024-25.

The is published weekly. Its purpose is to keep ADEA members abreast of federal and state issues and events of interest to the academic dentistry and the dental and research communities.

 

©2020

American Dental Education Association

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA

ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer

 

Bridgette DeHart, J.D.

ADEA Director of Federal Relations and Advocacy

 

Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.

ADEA Director of State Relations and Advocacy

 

Brian Robinson

ADEA Program Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations

 

Higher Logic