Dear MSDA Members and Friends, With the start of another year, I would like to take this opportunity to reaffirm my commitment to you as Chairperson of the Medicaid/SCHIP Dental Association (MSDA) and thank you all for your support and commitment to me and our organization. I would also like at this time to provide you with a brief update on MSDA activities, some recent exciting news and a preview of our 2010 MSDA Symposium and Business Meeting. As many of you are aware, this past fall we were awarded a generous grant from the DentaQuest Foundation. The purpose of this grant is to help our organization develop infrastructure and expand our capacity to provide oral health expertise related to Medicaid and CHIP programs to a variety of key partners and policy makers. To that end, we have hired an executive director. Ms. Mary E. Foley, MPH is the former state dental director for the Massachusetts Department of Public Health, Office of Oral Health. Ms. Foley is a licensed dental hygienist and holds a Masters Degree in Public Health. Prior to her appointment with MSDA she was an Associate Professor of Dental Hygiene and the Dean of the Forsyth School of Dental Hygiene at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences. She has served as an oral health advisor to several national organizations and has served on the Executive Councils for both the Association of State and Territorial Dental Directors and the American Association of Public Health Dentistry. I am confident that her leadership and administrative experience will bring us enhanced success as our organization continues to move forward. Mary’s email address is mfoley@medicaiddental.org. Please join me in welcoming Mary. Since our last meeting, MSDA Committees have been working diligently to expand our membership and broaden communication. Efforts to gain information and support the needs of members include the development of a MSDA Membership Survey. Chris Farrell (MI Medicaid), Membership Committee Chair, and others on the committee have spent long hours working on this questionnaire. Within the next week, you will be receiving this survey via Survey Monkey. Please take the time to complete all questions so that we may learn from you ways to better meet your professional and membership needs. Preliminary results of the MSDA Membership Survey will be shared during our Business Meeting at the 2010 MSDA Symposium. In addition, the Health Resources and Services Administration, Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) has provided grant funding to support our efforts. MCHB is committed to the professional development of our members and has provided grant support for the development and maintenance of the MSDA Web site. Marty Dellapenna (RI Medicaid), Web site Committee Chair, and other committee members have been working with Sarah Kolo from the National Maternal and Child Oral Health Resource Center to update information on the website and make it more user-friendly. I encourage you all to explore the new changes online and send your suggestions for improvements to info@medicaiddental.org. While all of these efforts have been taking place, board members met in the fall to develop an MSDA strategic plan. Under the guidance of B.J. Tatro, the group identified five key directions for MSDA to pursue. This document will be presented and discussed in more detail at our Business Meeting in April. MSDA is gaining in national visibility and is becoming more readily recognized as a national leader in the dental and non-dental professional communities. Over the last quarter alone, our organization has been invited to participate in several meetings with key national stakeholders. Board members and CMS Representative Conan Davis have been instrumental in helping us gain our place at the table. During our MSDA Business Meeting in April, we will share with you the meetings we have attended and the outcomes of those meetings. Finally, MSDA members Britt Catron (NM Medicaid) and the entire planning committee have been working tirelessly with ASTDD and AAPDH colleagues to plan our 2010 MSDA/Medicaid Symposium, April 24-25, 2010. Registration is online for both the Symposium and the National Oral Health Conference. We are hoping to set a record in attendance this year. Travel support is available. A Funding Requests for Travel Support form must be submitted by March 1, 2010, to be eligible for travel support. Members with limited travel dollars are encouraged to submit a request for travel support. By February 9, you will also find posted on our website information and an invitation to MSDA members for participation in the ASTDD-MSDA National Oral Health Leadership Institute. This three series Institute is designed to enhance collaboration among and between state health department dental directors and Medicaid and CHIP dental program managers and staff. Participants will gain knowledge and build skills in professional leadership and management. In closing, I once again would like to extend my personal thanks and appreciation for your continued support of MSDA. As we move into the new year, I hope that you will stay abreast of our growth and aim to participate in at least one MSDA project. We anticipate that new projects will emerge out of our new partnerships and we will need members to be involved. New committees are developing and current committee members need your help. The Board and I wish you all a healthy 2010 and want you to know that we will continue to work for the best interests of MSDA. Sincerely, Robert L. Birdwell, D.D.S.
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