Page 7 - Bulletin Vol 25 No 3 - Sept-Dec 2020 - Final

A Message from your

Executive Director:

“It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.” Never, I think, in the last fifty
years has that opening line from Charles Dickens’ A Tale of Two Cities been more
apropos. Certainly, the COVID pandemic has wreaked havoc on our family and
friends, our communities, and of course, our practices. Our lives were up ended
and every simple thing we took for granted; a trip to the store, a dinner out, family
celebrations and holidays were impacted. As we end 2020, we are in the midst of
a second wave and the hospitalization rates and deaths are mounting again. But
there is a glimmer of hope as several vaccines have been proven to be effective
and are being approved for distribution to the front-line workers and the public.

With all that, you may be thinking, “ that’s certainly the worst of times…what qualifies as the best of times?”
Well, this year has shown how resilient we can be as a profession. It’s shown us, more than ever, the
importance of belonging to organized dentistry, and how our organization is an integral part of keeping us
informed and acting as our advocate. It has shown that science can respond quickly to a crisis like this with
an effective vaccine being produced in record time. And, I believe, we’ve learned to appreciate the little
things in life and not to take one moment for granted. As we close 2020 we can look to 2021 with renewed
optimism and at least some confidence that if we could get through this year, we can get through almost
anything! I also hope you were able to enjoy the recent holidays as much as possible under the
circumstances.

So, what can we look forward to in 2021? First, by the time you get this Bulletin we will have launched our
new NCDS Website! It’s modeled after the ADA and NYSDA websites so it will be much more informative
and interactive. Like anything new, I’m sure there will be some growing pains and a learning curve. Check it
out!

In this issue, you will see our list of upcoming CE courses for the Winter and Spring. There will be additions
so check the website for the most up to date list. Out of an abundance of caution all courses will be virtual
through at least the end of June.

As you can see on our back page, NCDS Logo Apparel is still available, please consider showing your
support for your organization. I also want to remind you about signing up for AMAZON SMILE. It’s a way to
have Amazon donate to our Nassau Academy of Dentistry without costing you anything! The Academy not
only supports our community programs like Give Kids a Smile and Oral Cancer Screenings, it also helps to
provide you with Continuing Education courses. By helping to support the Academy you are ensuring that
we will be able to continue offering you free CE. Instructions on how to sign up can be found on page 12 of
this Bulletin.

Nassau County Dental Society ⬧ (516) 227-1112 | 7