Friday, May 22, 2020
Greetings from the Green River Dental Society
 
As Memorial Day 2020 is approaches, I wanted to first honor the men and women who gave the ultimate sacrifice in service to our great Nation across the years. We should never forget their significant bravery and the sacrifices that have been laid upon the altar of freedom.
 
This week also marks the close of the 4th week of the reopening of our dental practices to a larger scope of care for our patients. Although we have never stopped serving the dental needs of our patients during this COVID-19 crisis, it is has been very refreshing to welcome back our dental teams and patients as safely as possible to meet the much needed demand for dental services. However, I realize that this process has not been easy and many sacrifices have been made by each of you and your teams across the Commonwealth to help flatten the curve.
 
It was also very refreshing this week to have an opportunity to have a KDA leadership call with Commissioner Steven Stack from the Kentucky Department for Public Health. We were joined by a number members of his leadership team including Deputy Commissioner Dr. Connie White and State Dental Director Dr. Julie McKee. We had the chance to thank Dr. Stack for the confidence and trust provided in the KDA and others to allow us to help create a plan to safely reopen dental practices in Kentucky. He again acknowledged our unique collaboration of oral health stakeholders and shared his gratitude and the appreciation of the Governor for our well crafted and thorough plan for a safe reopening. We shared that our Kentucky Dental Reopening Workgroup collaboration continues to work together to meet our ongoing needs. Click here for our most recent collaborative resource of FAQ's.
 
Dr. Stack was very interested in learning more about our reopening process and the successes and challenges that we face individually and collectively. He welcomed each of us to share our specific issues and insights. He actively listened. He knows that this has been and continues to be a significant hardship and stress on dentists and our dental practices across the Commonwealth. He was able to provide insight and perspective on some of our most obvious obstacles, including PPE access, costs and supply chain concerns, point of care testing and vaccinations. It was very clear and somewhat comforting to know that he has been listening to the message of dentistry in Kentucky and will continue to listen. We will certainly continue to carry the message for the KDA and all of dentistry in Kentucky!
 
Thank you to each of you for your membership and support of the KDA! If you are not yet a member, there is no better time to join. TEAM KDA is working hard for us all.
 
This Memorial Day Weekend 2020, I hope you get a moment to pause and in your own way honor the heroes that paid the ultimate price to provide and protect the freedom we have to be a part of this wonderful profession of dentistry in Kentucky and America!

As always, you are welcome to reach me anytime at  markamoatsdmd@gmail.com  
or 270-454-6275.
 
Respectfully,
Mark A. Moats, D.M.D., M.A.G.D., F.A.C.D.
President Kentucky Dental Association 2019-2020


 


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