ADEA Advocate - January 26, 2021

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 in Support of Supplemental COVID-19 Relief

Aug 5 – Joint letter Regarding Institutional Aid

Other COVID Issues

Nov 30 – Sign-on letter regarding Voices of the Pandemic

Nov 20 – ADEA letter to Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices

Nov 20 – Joint letter in support of Borrower Relief extension

Additional Resources

ADEA webinar on State Advocacy

NHSC Service Loan Repayment Program user guide and application portal

For a full list of ADEA Letters and Policy Memos, click here.

Colorado, Georgia, Nevada and Washington Permit Dentists to Administer COVID-19 Vaccination

On Jan. 11, the Colorado Board of Dentistry adopted an emergency rule 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, 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, 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 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, Arkansas, California, Connecticut, Illinois, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and Oregon.

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. Currently, the total debt from federal student loans is $1.6 trillion and, according to the Department of Education, 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 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—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—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—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)—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 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, 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 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 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

ADEA Washington Calendar

ADEA U.S. Interactive Legislative and Regulatory Tracking Map

Key Federal Issues

Key State Issues

The ADEA Advocate 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.

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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]