PAGD Keystone Explorer Summer 2020

| executive director’s message What Did We Learn? Steve Neidlinger, CAE The furious pace of change for dentistry during COVID-19 did not leave much time for reflection. But now that we have returned to some semblance of normalcy (albeit a far cry from how you practiced in January), and in discussing it with colleagues in the association and organized dentistry community, it seems like a good time to take a look back and consider what lessons I feel were learned through our experiences. “I’m not delu- sional enough to think that coordination between all groups can be achieved for all issues. We will always have our differences in priorities and tactics. But when the stars align and we find ourselves in agreement, we can accom- plish much more.” LESSON #1: We Work Better Together I know I prattled on with this a bit too long in the last Executive Director’s column, but by regular communication, coordinating messaging, and cosigning letters, major dental organizations and the three major dental schools in Pennsylvania were able to reverse an effective shutdown in March with a more reasonable version of emergency-only guidelines. This reversal could have taken months in normal times but was accomplished in five days through our collective advocacy and coordination. I’m not delusional enough to think that coordination between all groups can be achieved for all issues. We will always have our differences in priorities and tactics. But when the stars align and we find ourselves in agreement, we can accomplish much more. LESSON #2: Being Nice Doesn’t Always Get Results This lesson was learned through the struggle in securing PPE. In the early days of the pandemic, many dental offices saw the train coming, and realized that they were in for some downtime. As a result, offices contributed much of their valuable PPE to hospitals and first responders that so desperately needed it in that difficult and uncertain time. The MOM-n-PA dental clinic, scheduled for early June, had to be cancelled, and contributed its substantial PPE inventory to Philadelphia area hospitals. Then, in mid-April, the Governor’s office issued an executive order allowing the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency (PEMA) to inventory and potentially commandeer any PPE collected. In my opinion, this heavy-handed and legally murky maneuver did not sit well. Fortunately, it did not appear that PEMA utilized this option for any seizures. But the fact that it was even on the table seemed that bridge too far. Then, when practices were freed up to expand practice on May 8, it was made clear that they could only do so if they had the adequate PPE. In a Catch-22 that Joseph Heller couldn’t have better written, dental offices donated their PPE, were prohibited from purchasing it for months, and were threatened to have PEMA take it away, but were now given the freedom to practice if they have it. And the May 8 guidance made it clear that no department in our government would make it available to you. It makes it harder to be generous for the common good when parochial hoarding would allow offices to open sooner. 4 www.pagd.org