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American Dental Education Association

Volume 1, No. 24, July 23, 2019
Opioid Lawsuit in Oklahoma Could Have Implications Nationwide

 

On June 15, lawyers for the state of Oklahoma and Johnson & Johnson presented at the end of a seven-week trial. The state is seeking $17.5 billion in damages from Johnson & Johnson for what it claims were aggressive and deceitful marketing tactics that resulted in thousands of opioid overdose deaths in Oklahoma. Oklahoma Attorney General Mike Hunter has referred to Johnson & Johnson as a “kingpin” of the opioid crisis.

 

Nearly every state in the country and more than 1,600 local governments are suing opioid manufacturers, and this case’s outcome is being closely watched. Some legal experts believe that if the judge finds in favor of the state, it could lead companies to settle lawsuits throughout the country, while a win for Johnson & Johnson could result in manufacturers fighting these lawsuits.

 

A verdict in the case is expected sometime in August.
Illinois Enacts New Training Requirements for Public Health Dental Hygienists

 

On July 12, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed that created new structure and additional requirements to training for public health dental hygienists. The new law makes numerous changes that include:

  • Establishing minimum hours of required training for topics that public health dental hygienists are already required to study;
  • Creating a new requirement for training to include five hours of didactic courses that cover special needs dentistry, teledentistry, nutritional needs of geriatric and low-income patients, communication techniques with non-English speaking patients, cultural competency and professional ethics;
  • Requiring training programs to include completion of an eight-hour, in-person classroom review that includes a comprehension exam that reviews topics required for study; and
  • Requiring that mandatory courses are provided by an institution accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation or a statewide dental or dental hygiene association approved by the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
House Committee Advances Several Health Care-Related Bills

 

The U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Energy and Commerce reported out several bills on health care on July 17.

 

One of those bills, The Educating Medical Professionals and Optimizing Workforce Efficiency and Readiness for Health (EMPOWER) Act of 2019 (), includes the reauthorization of the Oral Health Training and Workforce Programs, which funds grants to dental schools for pre-doctoral education as well as dental hygiene programs. In addition, it funds grants to post-doctoral residency programs in the areas of General Dentistry and Pediatric Dentistry. The bill would authorize $42.7 million for these programs for fiscal years (FY) 2020 through 2024. The funding level in FY19 is $40.7 million, with $12 million each for the two residency programs.

 

Another bill reported by the Committee that is of interest to those in dental education is Reauthorizing and Extending America’s Community Health (REACH) Act (), which would reauthorize and extend funding for community health centers through the Community Health Center Fund, the National Health Service Corps and the Teaching Health Center Graduate Medical Education Program. The Community Health Center Fund is set to expire on Sept. 30, unless it is extended. The Committee Chairman stated that there is bipartisan support to ensure that the Fund is extended before it expires.
Federal Budget Negotiations for FY20-21 Continue

 

The U.S. Congress and the Donald Trump Administration continue to have daily discussions seeking agreement on overall spending limits for fiscal years 2020 and 2021 and an extension of the federal debt limit. U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Speaker of the House, and Steven Mnuchin, Secretary of the U.S. Department of the Treasury, have been the principal negotiators and are said to be close to an agreement. Both sides want to have this completed before the Congress adjourns for its annual summer break for the month of August.

 

The outcome of these discussions is important for dental education, because without a budget deal we run the risk of a lapse or reduction in funding for programs for the next fiscal year, including those discussed in the previous article. Reportedly, the sides have agreed on the overall spending limits for each fiscal year and are now discussing the offsets for the increases in spending. It is those negotiations that carry the most risk for our programs, ADEA Advocacy and Government Relations will continue to keep you informed of developments.

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.

 

©2019

American Dental Education Association

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Washington, DC 20001

202-289-7201,

 

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B. Timothy Leeth, CPA

ADEA Chief Advocacy Officer

 

Phillip Mauller, M.P.S.

ADEA Senior Manager for Advocacy and Government Relations

 

Ambika R. Srivastava, M.P.H.

ADEA/Sunstar Americas, Inc./Jack Bresch Legislative Intern

 

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