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American Dental Education Association

Volume 1, No. 95, January 26, 2021

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 letter [ [link removed] ] in Support of Supplemental COVID-19 Relief
Aug 5 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] Regarding Institutional Aid
 
Other COVID Issues
Nov 30 – Sign-on letter [ [link removed] ] regarding Voices of the Pandemic
Nov 20 – ADEA letter [ [link removed] ] to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
Nov 20 – Joint letter [ [link removed] ] in support of Borrower Relief extension
 
Additional Resources
ADEA webinar [ [link removed] ] on State Advocacy
NHSC Service Loan Repayment Program user guide [ [link removed] ] and application portal [ [link removed] ]
For a full list of ADEA Letters and Policy Memos, click here [ [link removed] ] .

Colorado, Georgia, Nevada and Washington Permit Dentists to Administer COVID-19 Vaccination
 
On Jan. 11, the Colorado Board of Dentistry adopted an emergency rule [ [link removed] ] that will allow dentists in the state to administer vaccinations for COVID-19. This temporary authority limits dentists to administering vaccines while working in a hospital, inpatient facility or outpatient setting as delegated by physicians, physician assistants, advanced practice registered nurses, certified registered nurse anesthetists or professional nurses.
 
On Jan. 15, Gov. Brian Kemp (R) issued Executive Order 01.15.21.01 [ [link removed] ] , which permitted dentists to administer vaccinations for COVID-19. The executive order also permitted several other specified groups of health care providers to administer the vaccination and it will remain in effect until the end of the Public Health State of Emergency. All dentists in the state who wish to administer the vaccine must do so in partnership with the Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and must administer the vaccines in accordance with DPH guidelines.
 
Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) also signed an emergency directive allowing dentists and dental hygienists to administer vaccines for COVID-19. According to a guidance issued by Nevada Health Response, [ [link removed] ] providers who are administering injections outside their normal scope of practice must complete the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention self-paced vaccine administration course. Additionally, dental hygienists are only permitted to administer the vaccines under supervision.
 
The Seattle Times [ [link removed] ] also reported that the Washington Dental Quality Assurance Commission finalized a guidance on Jan. 7 that permits dentists and dental hygienists who are under supervision to administer the vaccine. According to the Seattle Times, the University of Washington School of Dentistry is finalizing training programs, and dentists will need to complete three to four hours of training before being permitted to administer the vaccines.
 
Other states that permit dentists to give the vaccine are Alabama [ [link removed] ] , Arkansas [ [link removed] ] , California [ [link removed] ] , Connecticut [ [link removed] ] , Illinois [ [link removed] ] , Maryland [ [link removed] ] , New Jersey [ [link removed] ] , New York [ [link removed] ] and Oregon [ [link removed] ] .

Biden Administration Extends Student Loan Freeze
 
In an effort to combat some of the economic strife that has resulted from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Biden administration is extending the freeze on federal student loan payments until Sept. 30. This action is meant to address the looming economic consequences from the pandemic and was one of President Biden’s first executive actions [ [link removed] ] . Currently, the total debt from federal student loans is $1.6 trillion and, according to the Department of Education [ [link removed] ] , has caused almost one in five borrowers to go into default on their loans.
 
The Biden transition team had indicated in the days leading up to the inauguration that they would be making a concerted effort to address the student loan crisis. Additional action [ [link removed] ] that has been discussed includes some level of federal loan forgiveness, a freeze of the interest rates on the loans, and pausing collections on loans that have gone into default.

Actions by the Biden Administration
 
The new administration has taken several other actions that ADEA will follow closely, including:
 • Improving and Expanding Access to Care and Treatments for COVID-19 [ [link removed] ] —This establishes a policy to improve the capacity of the nation’s health care systems to address COVID-19, to accelerate the development of novel therapies to treat COVID-19 and to improve all Americans’ access to quality and affordable health care.
 • Preventing and Combating Discrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity or Sexual Orientation [ [link removed] ] —This directs each agency head to review agency rules and authorities to ensure that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act as well as sections of the Fair Housing Act and the Immigration & Nationality Act, which prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual identity and orientation, are protected, and to determine if other protections are needed in their areas of jurisdiction.
 • Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government [ [link removed] ] —This charges the Domestic Policy Council (DPC) with embedding equity principles across the federal government. This order has a very broad mandate and places DPC as an equal with the National Security Council and National Economic Council.
 • Preserving and Fortifying Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) [ [link removed] ] —In a memorandum to the Attorney General and Secretary of Homeland Security, the President directed the Secretary to “preserve and fortify” the DACA program.

Hearings on Implicit Bias Training Requirements Scheduled in Maryland Legislature
 
Identical companion bills aimed at bringing greater awareness to implicit bias in health care are scheduled for hearings in the Maryland legislature today and next week. The bills would require all applicants renewing a license or certificate issued by a health occupations board to complete an implicit bias training program that has been approved by the Cultural and Linguistic Health Care Professional Competency Program in coordination with the Office of Minority Health and Health Disparities (MHHD). The bill also requires MHHD to publish on its website health data it collects that includes race and ethnicity information, and to update the data at least once every six months. Finally, the bill requires the Governor to include an appropriation for MHHD in each annual budget beginning in 2023 that is either $1,788,314 or 1.2% of the funding allocated to the Department of Health—whichever is greater.
 
At press time, HB 28 [ [link removed] ] was scheduled to be heard by the House Health and Government Operations Committee on Jan. 22, while its companion bill in the State Senate, SB 5 [ [link removed] ] , is scheduled for a hearing in the Finance Committee on Feb. 2.

U.S. Will Remain a Member of the World Health Organization
 
After taking the Oath of Office on Jan. 20, President Joe Biden took several steps [ [link removed] ] to begin implementing his coronavirus response strategy. One of the most significant changes in his response to the crisis and a departure from the policies of his predecessor, is that the United States will fully reengage with the World Health Organization (WHO) and will remain a full member. Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation’s top infectious disease expert, informed the WHO executive board [ [link removed] ] that the United States will honor is financial obligations and hopes to renew coordination on a global scale to combat the COVID-19 pandemic.

ADEA State Calendar [ [link removed] ]

ADEA Washington Calendar [ [link removed] ]

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map [ [link removed] ]

Key Federal Issues [ [link removed] ]

Key State Issues [ [link removed] ]

The ADEA Advocate [ [link removed] ] 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.
 
©2021
American Dental Education Association
655 K Street, NW, Suite 800
Washington, DC 20001
202-289-7201, adea.org [ [link removed] ]

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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
 
[email protected] [ [link removed] ]

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