The Road to: Access to Care! Lobby Day

The invitation to the left says to sign up for free CEs but as a student, I obviously don't get any of those! I didn't even get extra credit for it. So why did I do it? Because I am passionate about access to care!

Here are some of our talking points from today:

SB0177: ​Amending provisions related to the practice of dental hygiene. 
Sponsored by: Senator Stephen Urquhart

● Currently thousands of Utah residents go without preventive dental hygiene treatment because of the outdated restrictions placed on dentists working with a hygienist. This prevents us from providing care because we are unable to find a dentist willing to regularly leave their private practice to examine people in alternate or public health settings.

● This is not about Hygienists or Dentists though. It is about being able to provide services to the vulnerable and underserved residents of our state.

● Our solution is addressed with SB0177​which will allow hygienists to work together with a dentist or government agency under the arrangements set forth in a collaborative agreement.

● By allowing us to utilize a collaborative agreement, we can increase the access to thousands of residents in the state that are unable to walk through the traditional dental office door. Providing preventive care to our most vulnerable and underserved citizens. 

● 37 other states allow the public direct access to dental hygienists in at least some alternate settings. As of yet, it has proven to be a safe way to advance public health.

The blue states are the ones that currently allow direct access for dental hygiene as of 2014.

I had everything I wanted to say memorized and I was revved up to lobby but it was really anticlimactic. No one wanted to talk to us and pretty much everyone we talked to already supported it! WHICH IS AWESOME, don't get me wrong. I was just a little disappointed I didn't get to harass anyone :) 

UPDATE: Some really exciting news is that SB0177 passed unanimously out of the Senate Health & Human Services Committee on February 18th! Woohoo! Next stop... The Senate floor! 

Follow the bills progress at le.utah.gov