Message from the President

April 28, 2020

Greetings! We are one day closer to opening! And here is what we know now. Mayor London Breed has declared that the shelter in place order will remain in effect until the end of May. As much as I want the office to reopen, I also feel that we are not yet ready. We need more access to the appropriate PPE. There needs to be more widespread testing and contact tracing. We don’t want to put our patients, our staff, nor ourselves at unnecessary risk. We don’t want a second wave to result in another shelter in place. Dentists have done a great job of preventing the spread of this pandemic by limiting patient visits to treating only emergency patients. This has kept those emergency patients from clogging the emergency rooms and has also freed the PPE to be available to those on the front line. A big “thank you” to all of you!     I know that this closure has impacted all of us greatly. I also realize that our members represent a very diverse group and that some of us are being impacted more than others. We all need to move forward and together through this. We need to communicate with each other about the challenges we are facing. I feel very fortunate to be part of such a smart and talented group and look forward to you sharing your ideas with your colleagues. Throughout the last few weeks, the SFDS has tried to keep you informed about the pandemic by providing accurate, timely content. I ask you to read the latest release from the ADA -- THE RETURN TO WORK INTERIM GUIDANCE TOOLKIT --  it is filled with great information, checklists, and suggestions that will be very helpful in getting you back to work safely. I recommend that you do several dry runs before you see your first patient. I found the need to tweak the order of things, the location of items, where and when to discard PPE. In doing so you will find nuances that will make the experience better for the patient, your staff and for you. In the theme of sharing ideas, I would like to share a few:

1. I covered the reception room couches with a product called “Carpet Shield”. It can be wiped clean and is easily removed and replaced once a week.

2. My loupes and light did not fit under the shield. I mounted the light on a wood turning shield and replace the shield with a lighter disposable one.

3. I made a shield for the added protection of my front desk employee.

Thank you all for your support. Please share your ideas for getting back to work.  Deborah recently asked for you to share the stuff you have been enjoying during this shelter in place so that we can publish what you are doing. When you get lemons, make lemonade. The light at the end of the tunnel is visible now!

Carlos Nogueiro, DDS SFDS President

UPDATED CDPH GUIDANCE FOR HEALTHCARE PROVIDERS - DENTISTRY The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) released an expanded outline – Resuming California’s Deferred and Preventive Care (4/27/2020) -- providing guidance for health care providers including dentists. The guidance is intended to set a plan for California while understanding there may be local or regional circumstances that require different timelines for resumption of services. With lack of proper personal protective equipment and reliable and available COVID-19 testing, the guide establishes important benchmarks necessary to resume dental and healthcare operations. According to the CDPH, six considerations must be met prior to reopening general, routine care. They are: Monitoring for changes in COVID-19 infection rates and impacts on health facilities Adequate supply of PPE Availability of testing with prompt results should be present for health care delivery situations Local public health officers within counties will play a key role in determining return-to-routine-care orders Availability of qualified staff Facilities will need COVID-19 infection control plans With respect specifically to dental services, the California Department of Public Health will update the current guidance regarding the prioritization and delivery of following non-urgent dental services: Previously cancelled or postponed patients Preventive services Dental Procedures Routine dental services CDA continues to advocate with administration officials to ensure the particular needs of California dentists will be met. For more visit cda.org/covid19.

QUESTIONS ON AIR FILTRATION SYSTEMS We are getting questions about air filtration systems. Many on the market may not be adequate yet are costly. Until specific practice guidelines and/or specific product guidelines are established, there are no recommendations regarding air filtration systems at this time.

EVERYTHING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS Check out the EDD website for information about unemployment benefits. They have information, FAQ's, and guides for unemployment insurance, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (P UA) , disability insurance, and paid family sick leave.

What are YOU doing?  We have fun “shares” to feature today and hopefully more of you will share highlights of your time away from the office: Dr. Lary Schiller has been doing some reading during this time and recommends Elderhood by Louise Aranson, a geriatrician at UCSF. “I think it will be helpful in understanding and treating elderly patients.” Additionally, he adds, “I have been accumulating CEU’s from AAP and the ITI implant study club with Zoom courses. I do miss the Perio residents that I teach weekly and worry about their education and future plans. My empathy to all our members whose practices have been closed.” Dr. Matt Young reports, “We have been reading the Harry Potter books together. We are now on the 4th book. It is a great time. We are also having a good time with the kids laminating all of the great flyers that you and SFDS have posted to get our office ready to return to work! I am also growing my Quarantine Beard..."

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Dr Eddie Hayashida spends his days checking on how former UOP students are doing. He recommends checking out this recent post by one of UOP’s recent grads, J Sarah Kim ‘15, who practices in Tucson. “She is an awesome singer.” We agree! https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-mQndpwpGQM What are YOU doing that is interesting, fun or different during this Shelter in Place?  Have you read an interesting book that your colleagues would enjoy? Give us a quick 4-5 sentence highlight, the title and author. What about a gardening or sewing project? Send us a picture. A favorite or interesting blog post? Share the link.

SFDS NOTIFICATION OF CDA TRUSTEE ELECTION The nomination and election of a CDA trustee is a separate procedure from the general election of officers of the San Francisco Dental Society. The board of directors acts as the nominating committee for the election of trustee. The nominating committee's candidate for trustee, for a three-year term, with the term beginning 2021 and ending 2023 is:   Jeffrey Jang, DDS   Any active or life San Francisco Dental Society (SFDS) member in good standing may petition to run for CDA trustee by requesting a petition from the Society office, obtaining twenty-five (25) signatures from voting members of the SFDS, and returning the petition to the SFDS office NO LATER THAN May 28, 2020. In the event that the board's nominee is uncontested, the secretary shall cast the vote for the Society and the president shall declare Dr. Jang elected.  If you have questions about the petition or election process, please contact Deborah Elam, MS, CAE, Executive Director, at the Society office at (415) 928-7337 or exec@sfds.org .

SFDS ACCEPTING LEADERSHIP APPLICATIONS – GET READY TO LEAD The San Francisco Dental Society is accepting Leadership Interest Forms for SFDS 2021 Officer and 2021-2022 Board of Director positions. Interest forms are being accepted through April 30, 2020. Complete an SFDS Leadership Interest Form (LIF) (takes 3 minutes to complete). As part of the LIF, please also submit a C.V. to info@sfds.org . The SFDS values and seeks diverse leadership, leaders from all types and sizes of eligible practice types. During the selection process, a number of desired attributes are considered, including: Ability for effective engagement and contribution to board culture Able to commit to the time and participation requirements in order to serve effectively on the board Positive leadership attributes, emotional intelligence, ability to work collaboratively and engage in appropriate debate and discussion when needed If you have any questions, contact us at (415) 928-7337. DEADLINE TO SUBMIT: Thursday, April 30, 2020 .  Upon receipt of your completed interest form, the SFDS will contact you to schedule an interview with the SFDS Nominating Committee, chaired by Dr. Stephanie Jee .

Quick-links from the SFDS COVID-19 News Page

SFDS SFDS Published COVID-19 UPDATES since March 16, 2020 CDA CDA.org/covid19 CDA COVID-19 FAQs CDA COVID-19 Related Webinar Series ADA American Dental Association (ADA)  ADA COVID-19 Resources for Dentists  ADA Interim Guidance Flowcharts for Minimizing Risk of COVID-19 Transmission Other Helpful Links San Francisco Mask/Face-Covering Mandate SF.Gov Coronavirus Information (updated daily) SF.Gov Essential Business Posting Protocols San Francisco Coronavirus (COVID-19) Health Orders California Department of Public Health COVID-19 Guidance for Dentistry New Guidelines California Department of Public Health Office of Public Affairs California Covid-19 Response CDC Interim Infection Prevention and Control Guidance for Dental Settings During the COVID-19 Response Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center