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American Dental Education Association

Volume 2, No. 28, October 19, 2021

HHS Makes $100 Million Available for State Loan Repayment Programs
 
The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) has announced [ [link removed] ] that it will direct $100 million of the American Rescue Plan toward State Loan Repayment Programs to support primary care workforce in underserved communities. It will be administered through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA).
 
HHS’s announcement stated “HRSA’s Bureau of Health Workforce is accepting applications for these grants from all 50 states, Washington D.C., and U.S. territories. HRSA estimates that it will make up to 50 awards of up to $1 million per year, over the program’s four-year project period.”
 
HRSA’s State Loan Repayment Program [ [link removed] ] webpage has more information. ADEA is communicating with HHS to ensure that it considers the needs of dental primary care.
 
Interested applicants can begin the application process on Grants.gov [ [link removed] ] and apply by April 8, 2022, at 11:59 p.m. ET. Notices of awards will be announced prior to the project start date of Sept. 1, 2022.
 
ADEA also annually publishes a chart with all federal and state loan repayment and forgiveness programs. The summary for 2020 is available [ [link removed] ] .

Vaccine Mandates and Prohibitions Vary by State
 
Although the Biden administration [ [link removed] ] is on the verge of finalizing a vaccine mandate that is expected to apply to all employers with 100 or more employees, many states have also issued vaccine mandates [ [link removed] ] of their own. To date, 23 states have issued mandates that apply to health care workers, 19 have issued mandates that apply to state employees or certain groups of state employees and a handful of others have issued mandates that apply to employees of higher education institutions.
 
While many of the mandates for health care workers apply to most groups of health care professionals, it is important to note that in some states, requirements may not apply to dental offices or may apply to oral health workers differently than those required for other groups. In California [ [link removed] ] , for instance, dental office employees were not included in the state’s strictest mandate and unvaccinated employees have the option to comply with twice weekly testing requirements as an alternative to getting vaccinated. In New York [ [link removed] ] , the state mandate applies to oral health workers who work in health care facilities, but not private practice. Variation in the application of mandates in other states exists as well, and it is important to refer to respective state-issued mandates to understand how they apply to groups and individuals.
 
While some states have issued vaccine mandates, others have adopted an opposing stance and issued bans on mandates. Federal vaccine requirements are expected to preempt state bans, but conflicts between state and federal requirements [ [link removed] ] will likely be sorted out in the courts.

New California Law Will Allow Dental Interns and Residents to Challenge Termination or Discipline
 
On Oct. 6, Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill [ [link removed] ] that requires a higher education employer to provide a procedure for all medical and dental interns and residents to challenge a termination of employment or a disciplinary action after the employee has exhausted available administrative or academic grievance processes. The bill would not apply to a termination of employment or disciplinary action based on certain academic or clinical matters.
 
A similar bill passed the legislature in 2020, but it was vetoed [ [link removed] ] by the Governor.

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.
 
Issues and Resources
 • Provider Relief Fund Reporting portal [ [link removed] ]
 • ADEA memo [ [link removed] ] regarding vaccines at the state level
 • ADEA report [ [link removed] ] on the Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on U.S. Dental Schools
 • ADEA policy brief [ [link removed] ] regarding overprescription of antibiotics
 • For a full list of ADEA memos, briefs and letters click here [ [link removed] ] .

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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