ASDA's first-ever Advocacy Month was a success
Advocacy Month has been a success thanks to the grassroots initiatives taking place at the chapter level.

From lunch and learns with members of Congress to trivia nights and election viewing parties, we've seen your commitment to promoting #ASDAadvocacy at the local level.

We hope you enjoyed the events, learned more about advocacy and are inspired to stay involved in the future.

Chapter Event Challenges Winners
The competition for the chapter challenges was fierce. The Council on Advocacy considered all chapters that reported holding advocacy events. The Council appreciates the creativity and planning that went into all the events held in November and extends its congratulations to the winners.

Populist Chapter: Detroit Mercy, Cocktails and Congressmen event
As the Populist Chapter, Detroit Mercy held an event that was liked by the most dental student advocates on social media. At their event, dental students met with their local representatives and enjoyed cocktails and hors d'oeurves while discussing dental policy and building relationships for the future.

Freshman Senator Chapter: Louisiana, ADPAC event
As the Freshman Senator chapter, Louisiana is just getting started, but is already on the fast track to becoming an advocacy powerhouse. At their event, the chapter welcomed Dr. Stephen Ortego, ADPAC representative from the ADA 12th district, to speak about the importance of political advocacy. The chapter set up a booth outside the lecture hall to encourage students to join ADPAC and take their picture with ASDA advocacy-themed signs.

Progressive Chapter: Marquette, video and lunch and learn
As the Progressive Chapter, Marquette thought outside of the box to create the most innovative advocacy resource for its members. The chapter produced an advocacy short film leading up to the general election that explained the role of the Electoral College. The chapter then hosted their Hot Topics Lunch and Learn featuring ADA Success speaker Dr. Tanner McKenna. One-hundred and thirty students came out to see Dr. Tanner speak on "The Future of Dentistry."

Election 2016
President-elect Donald Trump is in the process of selecting the members of his presidential cabinet. Below is some information on the candidates Trump has identified to lead the Departments of Education and Health and Human Services (HHS).

Education Secretary: Elisabeth DeVos. Ms. DeVos is known to be an advocate for school choice, an issue the Trump administration hopes to address once taking office. It is unclear what DeVos' vision for higher education may be.

HHS Secretary: Dr. Tom Price. Dr. Price is a member of the House of Representatives and currently the chairman of the House Budget Committee. Dr. Price is a vocal opponent of the Affordable Care Act, legislation that the Trump administration aims to repeal once in office.

As with the other members of Trump's cabinet, DeVos and Price will be presented to the Senate for confirmation. The Senate conducts hearings on the nominees before voting, with a simple majority vote required to approve each nominee. Since Republicans hold a majority in the Senate, DeVos and Price are expected to be confirmed.

Learn more about Trump's nominees.

Congress considers another short-term funding bill for 2017

What's the issue?

President-elect Donald Trump would like the opportunity to provide input on appropriations bills once his administration takes office in January.

Therefore, Congress is considering approving another continuing resolution to fund the federal government through April 2017.

In September, Congress passed a continuing resolution to maintain funding at current levels for all federal agencies until Dec. 9, 2016.

Why is this important?

The trend of relying on continuing resolutions to provide funding for federal agencies is not ideal. Agencies are forced to operate without knowing how much money they will receive annually. This can create inefficiencies and potentially hurt the progress of agencies like the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR).

Next step:

Read more about the short-term spending bill.

2016 Community Water fluoridation ballot measures

What's the issue?

In addition to voting for candidates, citizens in some states have the opportunity to vote on ballot measures that relate to state or local initiatives.

In Wilmington, Ohio, citizens voted to begin a water fluoridation program. Fifty-seven percent of citizens agreed to join the eight other communities in Ohio that began fluoridating their water supplies after voting against the initial fluoridation mandate in 1970.

In Healdsburg, California, voters said no to a measure that would stop fluoridating the community's water supply. This is the second consecutive election in which residents have come out in favor of water fluoridation.

In Greenville, Texas, the city council reaffirmed a vote to resume water fluoridation. The original vote took place in October after a local dentist learned city officials stopped adding fluoride to the water supply.

In each city, dentists and other health care professionals played a key role in highlighting the important benefits of water fluoridation.

Why is this important?

As stated in ASDA's I-1 Policy, the association encourages the fluoridation of community water supplies. Patients may receive misinformation on the potential risks of community water fluoridation from internet sources or friends. As evidenced by the communities mentioned above, it is important to not only provide your patients with accurate information on water fluoridation, but to take part in the political process and advocate for the benefits of community water fluoridation.

Next step:

Read more about water fluoridation ballot measures.

Advocacy Brief shares news about ongoing issues and legislation that are of interest to dental students and organized dentistry. Inclusion of items does not imply their adherence to ASDA policy.