ODONTIA Summer 2009, [Spring 2009]

President’s Address
Jeanne Huber, ODHA President

Summer begs for a time away from our usual weekly responsibilities. Vacations are the vehicle of choice to take us to different places, for new spaces, fresh faces and changed paces. It is the flow of new sensations that refreshes and restores energy for the return to everyday challenges.

As for myself, I plan to spend some extra time this summer, after Delegate duties, sight seeing with my husband in Washington D.C. Reflecting on historical sites and exploring the beautiful greater D. C. area will be an inspiring experience. I plan to return with renewed energy and fresh ideas to wrap up the rest of my term in office.

As I read through manuals and reports preparing for Annual Session I find more time and space devoted to the issues of communication. Some concepts mentioned in the ADHA Annual Report from the Council on Public Relations are the now familiar website and social networking sites, such as Facebook and others. Emphasis on website development and creativity will be encouraged by constituent website comparisons and maybe even competition. The reports suggest we can look forward to support for website development and advisors for social networking sites. We can expect to see more on-line surveys so that our organization can more accurately respond to our professional needs and ideas. It will be our responsibility to take advantage of these opportunities to provide our opinions. These are just more of the latest reasons to check the parent website often.

Those who visited ADHA’s website today should be inspired to see that the Governor of Minnesota has signed into law the reality of a Bachelor’s and a Master’s program for the mid level provider Dental Therapist. This historical event required and would not have been possible without a well-organized communication system throughout the Minnesota Dental Association and the Minnesota Dental Hygienists’ Association. It is clear that good communication is productive and empowering.

ADHA continues to struggle with the debates on how to deal with the fate of the hard copy print version of the Journal of Dental Hygiene. Its’ physical presence promotes professional credibility with valuable research that needs to be visible beyond just our profession. The cost outweighs the subscription numbers but does it outweigh the perceived promotional value? ADHA will continue to print other informational brochures as needed for some target populations. The website clearly cannot be the only answer for all communication needs.

This last quarter Ohio decided to place the President’s address on the ODHA homepage since the ODONTIA did not receive sufficient submissions to publish its’ Spring 2009 edition. Communication needs are molded by interest, purpose, lifestyle and economics. The point must be made that to effectively deliver a worthwhile message a to large and widespread audience several styles of communication are needed and it may need to be presented more than once. We need input from all interested parties to adequately respond to members’ changing expectations.

I believe Ohio is on the path to building a stronger organization with the communication efforts that have been made so far this year. We started the year distributing a printed hard-copy brochure promoting our profession. Our constituent and component websites continue to develop and are offering more information in a more timely way. They reflect an increasingly dynamic operation with a pipeline of information for those who seek us. Most importantly they are a place where we can be found! They promote our profession and our meetings, community service projects, continuing education classes, student activities, fundraisers, related organizations’ events and legislative news. Those who are willing to share pictures on line add a personal face to our profession and heart to our message.

ODHA will soon have its’ own survey instrument on line. Every concerned member will value this opportunity to contribute opinions that affect his or her own profession. The possibilities available to us on-line are nearly limitless and have just begun. The extent of our success depends on the value we build into the messages we provide. I encourage each component to develop a website as one way to meet the communication needs in its’ area. Visiting the websites will never exactly be a vacation but with news like that from Minnesota it should serve to refresh and energize your professional spirit.