The COVID-19 Impact - Updates From Medina County Dental Society
May 8, 2020 Update
Dear Medina County Dental Society Members,
On April 27, 2020, Governor Mike DeWine announced that dental offices were permitted to re-open on May 1, 2020. While this may be welcome news for many of you, you’re sure to be experiencing challenges around the strategic re-opening of your practices. Below are some resources and updates we’ve collected for our membership…
Webinars:
The Ohio Dental Association has released 2 very timely webinars to aid in the re-opening of your practices:
"Getting Back to Practice" - Presented by Thomas M. Paumier, DDS, and moderated by ODA President Dr. Sharon Parsons, this webinar involves discussion around the American Dental Association's Return to Work Interim Guidance Toolkit.
"What's Next: Practicing Dentistry After COVID-19" - Presented by Periodontist and researcher Dr. Purnima Kumar and Ohio State Dental Board President Dr. Kumar Subramanian, this webinar explores the severity of the coronavirus, Ohio laws and guidelines affecting the practice of dentistry during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the science behind appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE).
Official Re-Opening Guidance:
We’ve identified 4 major sources of guidance in the re-opening and continued operation of your practices during and after the COVID-19 pandemic - namely, the Centers for Disease Control, the American Dental Association, the Ohio State Dental Board, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Each entity may provide slightly differing guidance, so we encourage you to balance the advice across all sources as you determine your own action plan.
April 7, 2020 Update
Dear Medina County Dental Society Members,
Below are a few quick messages to keep you up-to-speed on COVID-19 related developments that may affect you and/or your dental practices:
ER Diversion Plan for Dentists: ODA President Dr. Sharon Parsons announced the ODA’s position “to utilize ALL DENTAL OFFICES as the first point of contact for patients to ensure that dental patients do not present to hospital emergency rooms. This is why the ODA continues to advocate with state policymakers that dental offices must remain open for emergencies during this state of emergency.” Parsons proceeds to say, “In an effort to complete the plan, the Ohio Dental Association is compiling a list of dental offices, both general dentists and specialists, as well as dental clinics prepared to treat dental emergency patients who do not currently have a dentist of record. The ODA needs your help in this effort. I’m asking that the component dental societies reach out to members and ask that those who wish to treat dental emergency patients who are not their patient of record, and may not have dental insurance, to add their name to the ODA’s Emergency Dental Care Provider List for Patients without a Dentist of Record.” To add your name to the ODA’s list, click on the link here. The deadline to add your name to the list is April 10, 2020.
Survey for Availability of Licensed Personnel to Respond to Potential Hospital Surge from COVID-19: The Ohio Department of Health is seeking “to identify unaffiliated personnel (people not already being counted by hospitals) who could support potential hospital surge from COVID-19.” If you are a dental practitioner not affiliated with a hospital system and would be willing to support the COVID-19 hospital surge, please fill out the survey here.
Order to Restrict Dentists to Emergency Services: The order to restrict dentists to emergency services only remains in effect until further notice. A special thank you to our members who continue to honor this order. We’d also like to thank our local dentists and dental specialists who have donated PPE.
MCDS Board Position Openings: Even though MCDS business meetings and CEs have been postponed, we will soon have an opening for the MCDS secretary position. We are seeking interested parties for the fulfillment of this position. Please contact Dr. Kathy at 330-416-6558 if you’re interested in this position or have any questions about what it entails. You are also welcome to ask any of our board members about the position.
As always, we wish our members and their families the very best in these uncertain times. Stay tuned for future updates from MCDS.
March 27, 2020 Update
To our Membership:
We know this is a difficult time for all our members as they navigate the spread of COVID-19 and its impact on their families, friends, practices, and careers. We wish you all the best as you ride out this time of uncertainty.
We'll be using this news page to update our members on helpful information and resources related to COVID-19.
If you’re looking for some guidance and advice regarding how to navigate COVID-19 in the field of dentistry, the Ohio State Dental Board published a COVID-19 Advisory on 03/16/2020, as well as updates thereafter.
Perhaps of special significance to our membership is “the importance for all dental practitioners to defer all non-essential & elective procedures with immediate effect. Only patients that need emergency dental services should be seen and treated.”
The State Dental Board continues to add updated information on their news feed here.
As a final update to our membership, please keep an eye on our calendar of events for event cancellations in the coming months due to COVID-19.
Again, wishing all our members the very best. And be on the lookout for additional updates from us soon!