Page 23 - Bulletin Vol 25 No 2 - May-Aug 2020 - 9-2-20.pub

Message from NYSDA

NYSDA was there for its Members

and will be in the Future

By Mark J. Feldman, DMD
NYSDA Executive Director

The following is an excerpt from a letter that was written in response to a letter from a member.
It was sent to members on June 12, 2020.

The seven weeks that dental offices were open only for urgent and emergency services
were difficult for all of us, but all the while, NYSDA was advocating continuously on your
behalf. The work was tenuous and delicate on many occasions, and we chose to keep our
communications with state, regional and local leaders somewhat quiet so as not to confuse
or threaten any of the progress being made. I take your point that we could have been
more transparent throughout the negotiation process. Let me try to partially remedy that by
sharing the steps that, ultimately, led to a successful reopening on June 1. Beginning on
March 16, when Gov. Cuomo issued an executive order limiting dentists to only
“emergency and urgent” care, NYSDA got right to work advocating on behalf of our
members. Our primary focus was always on speeding up the adoption of state guidelines
and laying out the quickest possible timeline for dentists to reopen their offices. All the
while, we advocated non-stop against phased reopening and on behalf of a broad
statewide reopening. Behind the scenes, we were in constant contact with the governor’s
and lieutenant governor’s offices, the Speaker of the House, the Deputy Majority Leader of
the Senate, the Health Department, health policy leaders in the administration, legislators
across the entire state, and other elected officials at the county and local levels, as well as
the governor’s “Reopening New York” advisory task force, on which Dr. Amarilis Jacobo
serves. Over the course of our discussions, we learned that these decision makers held
many misconceptions about the dangers of dental offices, which we were able to counter
very effectively, while emphasizing our long-standing record of safety. In the meantime, our
Association began daily communications with you, our valued members, about resources
available to you – PPP, EIDL and other small business loans, tax ramifications, PPE
availability, and the Cares Act, to name a few. We also extended to members who needed
it a grace period on their dues. Although the NYSDA team is working at home and
communicating remotely, our employees put in long hours, fielding 3,200 calls, responding
to over 5,000 emails, filling our website and social media with relevant news and sending
out over 35 messages updating members on any new developments. In addition, we
provided “how-tos” and “FAQs” from our own headquarters, as well as from organizations
like the ADA and the SBA. We also offered webinars on all aspects of management,
including furloughs, layoffs and benefits. In preparation for reopening, we helped develop
our “back-to-work” guide, which supports CDC, OSHA and ADA directives, and made a
comprehensive reopening toolkit available to all of our members.
Nassau County Dental Society  (516) 227-1112 | 23