Constituent Officers' Workshop Another Success

ADHA's 19th annual Constituent Officers' Workshop (COW) was held November 19 - 21, 2004, in Chicago. These eventful days offered a chance for state dental hygiene association leaders to gather and discuss both common and state-specific items of interest. Participants had the opportunity to develop their leadership skills, calibrate their understanding about current national issues, and forge friendships with other state leaders.

ADHA senior staff members presented an overview of the ADHA divisions and available resources, as well as offered a guided tour through ADHA's central office on Michigan Avenue for COW participants.

Sponsors Provide Ample Support
The meeting was sponsored for the seventh consecutive year by GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) the makers of Sensodyne(R) toothpaste. "The sponsorship that made this possible was invaluable," says Evelyn Edwards, RDH, president-elect of the Tennessee Dental Hygienists' Association. "I am sure that many constituents, like mine, would not have been able to send a representative without their support." This sentiment was shared by many of the visiting participants.

GSK also sponsored a continuing education (CE) course, "Dentin Hypersensitivity: Considerations for Successful Management," presented by guest speaker and president of the Virginia Dental Hygienists' Association Catherine A. Berard, RDH, BSDH. "[GSK] was most generous in providing this program," says Lin Sarfaraz, RDH, president-elect of the California Dental Hygienists' Association (CDHA). In addition to presenting the CE course at the meeting, GSK provided all attendees with materials including speaker notes and a CD-ROM so that constituent organizations can make the course available to their members and potential members. "They seemed to have thought of everything to support the constituent officers," Sarfaraz says.

Ellen R. Guritzky, RDH, professional relations and convention manager at GSK, shared her excitement about the partnership with ADHA. "[GSK] enjoys working and partnering with the ADHA, their dedicated staff, and the entire dental hygiene community," she says. "As this relationship strengthens, our goal is to assure that this weekend workshop offers educational tools that will prepare all officers for their transition into leadership roles in their constituents."

Updates on the National Agenda
ADHA President Helena Gallant Tripp, RDH, spoke at the workshop, focusing on the emergence of the advanced dental hygiene practitioner (ADHP), which will be a major topic of discussion during all participants' terms of office. "It is what the leaders will be dealing with through this year and through next year," says Tripp. "Some of these people had not attended the educators' workshop in Dallas, so they hadn't seen a formal presentation. The material that I was able to give them Saturday had [become available] as recently as Thursday, so it was the latest as to what was going on with ADHP." Until the meeting, the information concerning the new credential was limited to ADHA press materials and the September-October 2004 Access cover story.

Plugging into a Nationwide Network
While some of the issues discussed at the meeting were specific to a given constituent, other challenges are shared by many states. One of the goals set forth in COW was the formation of a network of individuals who are in tune with each other's situations and can become a group of allied problem solvers. Suzanne Luken, RDH, president-elect of the South Dakota Dental Hygienists' Association, expressed her elation at the opportunities to network. "I left South Dakota not knowing what to expect and came home feeling part of a nationwide network of support," she says. "It was enlightening to spend time with such energetic, magnetic, dynamic, and knowledgeable professionals."

"The most important thing that [the participants] gained is the networking opportunity both with staff members and other constituent leaders," Tripp agrees. The concerns that participants held in common helped build the bridge between the representatives.

"I felt the most valuable aspect of the weekend was the time available to network with my contemporaries across the country," says CDHA's Sarfaraz. "The needs and concerns of our states were similar, yet different. The avenue created for sharing ideas, concerns, and solutions was priceless."

One idea gained from the experience is that membership recruitment can be a valuable tool in helping solve many of the constituent issues. Tracey E. Marsh, CDA, RDA, RDH, president of the New Jersey Dental Hygienists' Association, was adamant in her expression of this belief. "Most of us are facing similar problems in our constituents--lack of membership, no volunteers, lack of knowledge, frustration, and burnout. So how do we remedy this? Membership! Go get it. Get out there and find new blood," says Marsh. "And if that means canvassing the state's dental offices personally, so be it. I'm seriously considering going door-to-door in New Jersey and asking dental hygienists [if they are] a member, and if not, would they like to be."

Media Training
A significant portion of the meeting is devoted to media training aimed to help attendees communicate more effectively during interviews and other public relations opportunities. The training, administered by the Citigate Sard Verbinnen public relations firm, focused largely on highlighting ADHP's key messages.
"The media training on Sunday was fantastic!" says Sandy Larew, RDH, president of the Florida Dental Hygiene Association. "I hope to be a better spokesperson for FDHA this year because of [it] and take what I have learned this weekend and put it into practice."

Participants paired up for a mock interview session in which they practiced applying the training that they had received up to that point. After the interview session, a small question-and-answer session highlighted some of the best answers that had emerged, so that all the participants could use them to enforce consistent messages in future situations.

Excitement Abounds
"We are super-charged about the advent of the ADHP and we're excited to hear that [Ann Battrell, RDH, BS, ADHA Assistant Executive Director of Strategic Planning and Education and ADHA's Council on Education] are close to completing the curriculum," says Leslie Andrews, RDH, MBA, president-elect of the Connecticut Dental Hygienists' Association, who voiced her confidence that President Tripp and Katie Dawson, RDH, ADHA president-elect, are poised to lead the dental hygiene profession into a new era.

Alicia M. Kucinski, RDH, president-elect of the Iowa Dental Hygienists' Association agreed, adding, "The highlight of this meeting was to hear that the ADHP program is in full throttle with ADHA."

Looking Toward the Future
The workshop participants received tools and information to use in future endeavors, and many expressed that they are looking forward to doing so. They now have relationships established nationwide with individuals and resources that were previously unavailable to them.

Of the many who have expressed excitement about their future as ADHA representatives, Mary Anne Barry, RDH, BA, president-elect of the Rhode Island Dental Hygienists' Association, stressed her enthusiasm. "Vision to predict the future needs that we will face, positive attitudes towards working together, hard work, and an open-minded approach towards compromise should make our goals attainable."

Shari Williams, RDH, president-elect of Idaho, adds, "President Tripp and President-elect Dawson displayed confidence [at the workshop], guidance, and direction to our group, and I felt assured that ADHA is headed for a bright and energetic year."

--Nicholas C. Olsen