Greetings!
As the COVID-19 coronavirus impacts our community, we want to provide you with an update on our ongoing efforts to continue assisting SFDS members while also protecting the health and safety of our team, volunteer leaders. We are in unprecedented times, but we are confident in the resilience of the dental community and know that we will weather this crisis together.
The SFDS team is working remotely for the next several weeks, but we are 100 percent operational. Many of our members have reached out to us for resources and guidance on office/practice operations and other issues related to COVID-19 and we have compiled a number of useful links to
CDA
,
ADA
,
CDC
, and
City & County of San Francisco
for resources and updates.
CDA issued a crucial update
last night for the 9 counties now under “shelter in place” orders. If you can’t find what you’re looking for, please feel free to reach out directly for assistance. We’re here to help.
While the national and state response to COVID-19 is rapidly evolving, and we realize that today’s information may be not be accurate tomorrow, here are a few steps SFDS has taken in light of the situation:
- Given new Shelter in Place order, we have posted the San Francisco Notice on our website on the News Section. Note that health care workers, including dentists and dental team members, are exempt so that you can provide emergency/urgent care to your patients. Dentists and other health care providers are considered essential personnel and are exempt from the order to shelter-in-place.
- SFDS has cancelled all in-person meetings and events, including the March 25 CPR, the April 15 CE meeting, and the April 25 CPR. We will reassess future meetings and events accordingly and we are contacting registrants regarding refunds or applying their fees to future classes/events.
- SFDS has alternatives to in-person CE meetings for members – active members can access various on-line educational opportunities including the Free SFDS Viva-online and the discounted CalChamber Harassment on-line training. In addition, check out CDA’s and ADA’s online learning platforms. We want members to be aware of all the choices and options available to them.
- CDA and the ADA continue to provide a host of resources and updates for members. We are posting the links on our website and encouraging members to periodically check these updates/resources. Following CDA's strong recommendation that dentists voluntarily suspend non-urgent or non-emergency dental care, the CDA Practice Support developed guidance and tools to use when considering limiting services to emergency care only and making determinations about essential care. Find updated resources at cda.org/covid19 – newly added:
- FAQs on suspending non-urgent or non-emergency care, limited services, office closures and communicating to staff and patients
- Protocols for defining and treating patients who require urgent care
- FAQs on sick leave, employment, compensation and liability
- Contacts for economic hardship relief and tax assistance
- SFDS continues to closely track COVID-19 legislation and discussions about relief for small businesses and employers impacted by this pandemic. In particular, ADA has asked Congress to consider the impact COVID-19 has had on dental practices and their employees. CDA is staying on top of developments in Sacramento and is pushing out updates as quickly as they can. We will continue to share this information, too.
- Mayor Breed has issued a moratorium order on commercial evictions.
- HR for Health, a CDA endorsed program, has developed resources for employers in response to the coronavirus, including a blog post and a video of Attorney Ali Oromchian’s recent Q & A webinar, in addition to templates to use for communicating with patients and dental staff
We do have a very important request of our members – that during this time, please refrain from referring patients to the SFDS for non-emergency care referrals. Let your patients know how to reach you for dental emergencies (i.e. message on your office phone). It may be necessary to have a conversation with the patient when determining that the situation is a non-emergency and advising them that you will schedule appointments for some future date after the crisis has passed.
While we are all having to make tough decisions as a result of this fast-moving threat, and we know you have questions about the loss of revenue and how to pay your staff and your bills, we will continue to share information and resources about COVID-19 with you on a regular basis. And, please,
contact us
directly if you need answers or help. For those who are distanced from colleagues, family and friends, please stay in touch with each other and offer each other support in this challenging time.
And on a more personal note, the Celebration of Life for our friend and your colleague
Dr. Dennis Shinbori
, originally scheduled for April 25, is being rescheduled until after this crisis has passed. We will keep you updated.
Thank you and stay safe!
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Carlos Nogueiro, DDS
President, San Francisco Dental Society
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Deborah Elam, MS, CAE
Executive Director, San Francisco Dental Society
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Still Need CE but Can't Meet Face to Face?
Use Viva Online CE - Free for Active SFDS Members
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As the coronavirus spreads, face-to-face meetings may not be practical, but you may still need to get your CE. The SFDS has an answer.
Try Viva Online CE!
- No charge for Viva webinars for qualified SFDS members
- Earn live interactive CEU
- On-demand CE
- Dental Podcasts
- Clinical and Practice Management Courses
- Learn from the comfort of your home
- World class speakers and clinicians
- Approved ADA CERP Provider
- Seats for live webinars are limited
If you would like to utilize this useful option and need login credentials, contact the SFDS at 415-928-7337 or
membership@sfds.org
.
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Do Your RDA's and RDH's Need CE Too?
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Annual subscriptions are available for individual, non-dentist members of your dental team, normally $75 each, though due to this current situation, the SFDS is providing access for $25 per staff member through September 2020. Each individual subscription allows one RDA or RDH unlimited access to all the live and on-demand webinars for the calendar year.
Call the SFDS office at 415-928-7337 or send an email to
membership@sfds.org
for more information or to start an annual subscription for a team member today.
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