Wednesday, April 8, 2020
Dear SCDA Member:
We keep having to adjust and reposition ourselves, readying ourselves for the next piece of disappointing news, meanwhile hoping that today will bring some good news. Many of the key issues we are most concerned about have moving targets including a date to return back to work and what financial relief will be available to support us as we recover from this shutdown. Rest assured, your SCDA and your American Dental Association (ADA) have you at the forefront of their purpose every day on all of the issues related to the Coronavirus. The ADA and the SCDA have very valuable relationships in all areas where decisions are being made. Dentistry is a small sector of the business world and the healthcare world, but we have very fierce, dedicated and experienced
watchdogs
in this fight to advocate for us. We are NOT going to get everything we WANT during this crisis, no one will, but your Associations are striving to work as hard for you as possible.
After the alert this
past
weekend, and the strong grassroots
action
from ADA dentists across the country, I am happy to say, if you have not heard, that the Small Business Administration informed the ADA on April 6 that "dentists can apply for both
the
Economic Injury Disaster Loans and
the
Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) 7(a) loans." This is consistent with the message that the ADA has been asserting since the first EIDL webinar.
You can read the entire story here.
Now that the details for the PPP loan are becoming clear, the SCDA strongly encourages you to begin discussions with your CPA, financial advisor, legal counsel, etc. to make sure you apply for these loans at the correct time for your practice to be able to take advantage of all they have to offer. There are strategies to consider
regarding
when you apply, and when you accept the loan depending on when you plan to reopen your business.
In other SCDA news, for over a month, the SCDA picked up the fees for our dentists who had one on one discussions with Ms. Kris Cato, a certified personnel lawyer. We greatly appreciate Ms. Cato's valuable assistance to our members up to this point. Now that the CARES Act has been enacted, and the turmoil is settling, we have closed the opportunity for SCDA sponsored communication with Kris. From now on you, if you still want to seek counsel for your personnel issues with Ms. Cato, it will be at your own expense.
The South Carolina Board of Dentistry (SCBOD) was able to respond favorably to another request from the SCDA to include all patients, not just patients of record, in the emergency teledentistry order. Again, we express our appreciation for the SCBOD to respond with urgency acknowledging the immediacy of this issue under these conditions. You can read the entire updated emergency order here.
This past Friday, the SCBOD voted to waive the restriction on continuing education being obtained online during the current renewal cycle.
This is only a temporary waiver and not a permanent ruling. The current two-year licensure renewal cycle ends on December 31, 2020. Following this renewal cycle, the State Board will shift to be in alignment with the continuing education cycle of January 1, 2021 through December 31, 2022.
In anticipation of this ruling, the SCDA has arranged for the 3
rd
Party Seminar that was planned for Friday, April 17, to stay on schedule as a
FREE
webinar hosted by Mr. Dennis McHugh at the ADA. Please use this link to registe
r. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar once you register. Please note the seminar will be for two hours 9 a.m. EST to 11 a.m. EST.
The SCDA is
developing plans for additional webinars in a few weeks while your offices are closed to assist you in obtaining the necessary continuing education hours for licensure requirements.
During trying times, many of us turn to our faith. For those of you who will celebrate faith-based observances this month including Easter, Passover or Ramadan, I wish you happy holidays. I hope that the comfort of your family and friends during the holiday, whether close by or on Zoom, brings you comfort and reassurance that we will get through these times and enjoy victory before too long.
With warmest regards,
Julia K. Mikell, DDS
SCDA President
