Updated 2024

April 8, 2024

The Honorable Angelique Ashby

Chairwoman, Senate Business, Professions & Economic Development

1021 O Street, Suite 3320

Sacramento, CA 95814  SB 1451 (Ashby)

Sunset Clean Up Bill

SUPPORT

Dear Chairwoman Ashby,

The CA Dental Hygienists’ Association (CDHA) supports Senate Bill 1451 (Ashby), which among other provisions, would address a long-standing concern for Registered Dental Hygienists in Alternative Practice (RDHAPs or APs) related to Dental Health Professional Shortage Areas (DHPSAs).

SB 1451 would amend the Dental Hygiene Practice Act to grandfather in APs operating in a DHPSA to allow them to keep their brick and motor practice open should the DHPSA designation be removed. Providing this certainty would incentivize more APs to open practices in dental deserts and provide the dental hygiene care, therapies and necessary care coordination to help patients get connected to dentists.

The legislature’s goal is to increase access to oral healthcare in dental deserts. Therefore, it is essential amend the statute and allow APs to keep their practices open if the DHPSA designation is removed.

The Issue:

The legislature created the Registered Dental Hygienist in Alternative Practice (known as AP) to serve patients and the shortage areas of the state, known as dental deserts, where patients lack access to dental hygiene care and there is a lack of dentists available to treat patients. APs provide dental hygiene care, therapies and care coordination connecting patients to dentists. However, APs are wary of opening a dental hygiene practice in these shortage areas because the B&P Code does not explicitly allow the AP to keep her practice open if the DHPSA designation is removed. APs fear that after making a substantial investment to open a practice and reach patients, they would be required to close the practice and abandon patients if the DHPSA designation is removed.

Patient populations:

The aim of the AP practice is to reach underserved patients – regardless of whether the patient has insurance or not. APs often take the most difficult to serve patients: the elderly and disabled with cognitive and physical impediments, patients who are homebound or in

skilled nursing facilities, those with and without insurance and those in dental deserts. The goal is to reach the underserved.

Data supports the need to clarify the statute to allow APs to keep their practice if the DHPSA designation is removed. CDHA surveyed AP hygienists about a variety of topics. Significantly, in the general comments area, 11 of the 42 comments were directly related to the current limits on AP shortage area practices being a barrier to reaching the underserved. That is about 25% of the comments. Survey results included:

· Do you have a practice in a DHPSA? 85% said no

· If there was not a limit would you open one? 70% said yes

This uncertainty in statute is impeding AP hygienists from investing in and opening dental hygiene practices in shortage areas. APs would be incentivized to invest in these shortage areas if the risk of losing their practice was removed.

What is a DHPSA?

A Dental Health Professional Shortage Area (or dental desert) is a federal designation, which could be removed if providers in the area do not petition to keep the designation. The few dental professionals in these shortage areas must repeatedly petition the federal government with the help of HCAI (formerly OSHPD) to keep the designation in place and continue serving patients.

It is a goal of the DHPSA designation to attract enough oral health providers to the shortage area. Prohibiting a provider from providing services in the area is counter to the legislature’s goals of increasing access to oral healthcare for the underserved areas of the state. There is no harm to patients to have more than enough providers in an area. In fact, patients and consumers only benefit by having more than enough oral health providers available.

CDHA supports SB 1451 amendment to the B&P Code to grandfather in APs practicing in the DHPSA if the designation is removed. It is a small, common-sense fix that would be a significant benefit to patients.

Updated 2024

What is CalHyPAC?

By Linda Brookman, RDHAP, MS & Joan Ong, RDHAP, MPH

Directors on the Board of CalHyPAC

This past Fall, the Board of Directors of California Hygiene Political Action Committee (CalHyPAC) met in Sacramento for our annual in-person meeting to plan for 2024. We had the pleasure of having Aaron Reed sit down with us and give us an oral history of how his lobby firm has helped improve the laws for dental hygienists since 1978. His firm, by lobbying for certain laws, has broadened our practice with the formation of RDHAPs. Aaron Reed and Associates has also ensured that we could continue to practice to the full extent of our scope of practice, thereby protecting our profession and allowing us to reach more California citizens, especially those in need. He regaled us with stories of why he has such respect for dental hygienists and called us the “White Hats”, the “good guys”. Jennifer Tannehill, his associate, with whom we are in constant contact, updated us on relevant impending issues.

Many California dental hygienists seem to confuse what the California Dental Hygiene Association (CDHA), CalHyPAC, and the Dental Hygiene Board of California (DHBC) organizations are and what they do, mistakenly lumping them into one big organization.

These three entities are totally separate. The first entity, CDHA, is the state’s dental hygiene professional organization and the voice of dental hygienists in California. If you want to feel the strength of your profession or feel that something needs to be changed or have a vision for our profession contact and join your association. The second entity, DHBC, is the licensing board in our state. We are autonomous! California is the only state where dental hygienists are regulated by their own board. In all other states, dental hygienists are regulated by their Dental Board. Finally, CalHyPAC is the fundraising organization that contributes dollars to Assembly Members and Senators who support bills which support our needs and laws we want passed as they go through the House and Senate committees. PACs are legal entities authorized by the state for raising funds used to participate in elections. PACs are regulated by the Fair Political Practices Commission (FPPC).

How does CalHyPAC work?

The California Legislature is composed of legislators from 80 Assembly seats and 40 state Senate seats. Assemblymembers are elected every two years, state Senators are elected every four years. Elections for Senate seats are staggered so that every two years either the even or odd numbered Senate seats are on the ballot for election by the voters.

Assembly and state Senate candidates seek donations from interest groups like dental hygienists, trade associations, business groups, labor unions, environmental organizations, taxpayers’ groups, and public employee unions like teacher, civil servants, law enforcement and firefighters.

CalHyPAC raises funds for political contributions for ALL dental hygienists, but your voice is heard through CDHA, so unless you’re a member, we don’t know what you want changed.

Dental Hygienists exercise their right to participate in California elections by supporting CalHyPAC monetarily, which is used to support candidates for elected office who care about what CDHA cares about: access to oral healthcare and the practice of dental hygiene.

To help enhance and protect your profession, contribute to CalHyPAC. Anything you give, from five dollars and up, helps you maintain and grow our profession so we may continue to treat our patients how we were taught to give the highest quality of oral health prevention! Look for us at CE courses, or go to our website at https://calhypac.org/ and look for the “Donations” link on the first page or see below:

Where should contributions be sent?

Please make checks payable to: CalHyPAC. The mailing address is below.

Debbie Phillips, RDH

Treasurer, CalHyPAC

182 Cameo Dr.

Danville, CA 94526

You can also donate online:

Paypal: search for California Dental Hygienists Association Political Action Committee (calhypac@gmail.com)

Venmo: @CalHyPac

THANK YOU!!

Updated September 2018

FROM CDHA

Association Healthcare Plan

Dental hygienists are a unique group of individuals whose employers generally DO NOT provide them with healthcare, nor access to a healthcare plan. This leaves the hygienist searching for plans each year and many are not finding affordable plans. With the prospect of an Association Healthcare Plan being made available through our professional organization, hygienists will have a choice!

There are about 20,000 Registered Dental Hygienists in California.

Don’t take our choice away, Governor Brown, please veto SB 1375.

LEGINFO.LEGISLATURE.CA.GOV
Bill Text - SB-1375 Health insurance: small employer groups