Hygiene Herald
July 2016
a publication of the Illinois Dental Hygienists’ Association
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In this issue . . .
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President’s Message
News from Lake County Dental Hygiene Society
Kennedy King Graduation
IDHA Annual Session
Volunteer Opportunities Oral Cancer Screening
Senior Health Fairs
Fox Valley Dental Hygienist’s Society
Fox College
SIU to host Community Service Day
Hy-PAC Paint Night
Officers 2015-2016
President: Gaylene Baker
President-Elect: Lisa Schmidt
Immediate Past President: Sherri Lukes
Treasurer: Rebecca VanHorn
Secretary: Jennifer Sherry
Speaker of the House: Christina Emmert
Tales from a Dental Hygiene Temp
President’s Message Gaylene Baker RDH, BSDH, MBA
ADHA 2016 Annual Session Pittsburgh, PA.
2016-2017 ADHA President Betty Kabel RDH, BS with
IDHA President Gaylene Baker
It’s hard to believe that I have completed more than one half of my Presidency with IDHA and the ADHA Annual Session in Pittsburgh, PA is over. It was a great time celebrating the profession of dental hygiene, learning, and networking with RDHs from all
over the country. Summer brings about another season and another time for us to relax and reflect.
While I was attending the ADHA Annual Session, I had the opportunity to meet a fellow RDH from Pittsburgh named Edna. What
makes Edna special is the fact that she has been a member of ADHA for 70 years. Yes that’s correct, 70 years! I told her thank you
for her continuous support of the association. Her reply was “the dental hygiene profession gave me the ability to make a living and
support myself and my family. How could I not be a member?” Well, at the age of 90, Edna hasn’t been “making a living” as a
dental hygienist for some time now. I mention this not to point fingers, but to ask you to reflect on what your career as a dental hygienist and the professional association means to you. Together we can accomplish much, and we need your support. It’s often the
efforts behind the scenes that are never seen that promote our profession.
Dental hygienists are a very important part of the access to care formula and provide valuable total health benefits with oral care
services. I’m happy to report that IDHA and the Illinois State Dental Society worked collaboratively to make becoming a Public
Health Dental Hygienist more attainable. The CE requirements were lowered from 72 to 42 and a 30 day grace period has been
provided before a patient to see a dentist to continue care. It’s fitting and coincides with ADHA President Betty Kabel’s theme of
making connections and building bridges.
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President’s Message Continued
I’d like to tell you a little bit about the ADHA Annual Session in Pittsburgh. It was filled with community service, a 5k walk/
run raising money for the Institute of Oral Health, educational classes, networking, fun, and of course the business of the Association. Illinois, along with all the states of District 8, successfully had the resolution that ADHA take an active role in the development of new procedure codes and advocate for representation on committees that develop and approve new procedure
codes.
In addition, motivational plenary speakers were scheduled and both were beyond inspiring. Erik Wahl, famed graffiti artist,
discussed the art of vision and leadership. People helping people is ultimately what makes a difference in the world. He didn’t
start painting and doing what he loved until the age of 30. He let the formal institutional theories of being told he wasn’t a
good artist because he didn’t color inside the lines stifle his career choice. Can you believe he almost didn’t develop the career
he loves? He threw the old way of thinking aside and listened to his own voice and began to recreate himself. Remember
when you were three and you knew you were good at art? Why don’t we feel like we’re good at art as adults? Don’t let the
adult fear factor get the best of you. Open a box of crayons, take a sniff, and begin to create.
Alison Levin discussed her experience with success and falling short. She is a mountaineer adventurer and has completed the
“grand slam” of mountain climbing by ascending the highest peaks on every continent. In 2002 she lead the first all women
expedition team to climb Mt. Everest. Due to bad weather the team had to retreat only 200 feet from the summit. Did she feel
like a failure? No, she made it back alive with her team, kept all her fingers and toes, and learned valuable lessons. That’s a
success. The only time you fail is if you don’t learn something along the way. The lessons she learned were that life isn’t fair,
know when to stop, and sometimes you just have to take one step and breath five times, and keep moving forward. Ultimately,
she succeeded on her second attempt.
I took a little time off before Annual Session and was fortunate to be present at the 100 th running of the Indianapolis 500 race.
It was a historic race, and who would be a better winner than a rookie? Alexander Rossi, a 24 year old rookie, used fuel conservation to pull off a stunning victory. He listened to his team, didn’t pit for a final fueling, and crossed the finish line on
fumes. The courage to do something different, listen to his team, forgo a pit stop the experienced drivers took and ease off the
throttle, made him a historic winner. We can always try something different and new. If it doesn’t work what do we have to
lose?
Listening to all of these inspirational speakers, and seeing history at the Indy 500, makes me want to inspire others. What I
want is for you to know how much we need you to be a part of our Association. IDHA needs you to come and be a visionary
with us. Don’t let how you’ve always done things become how you always do things. Maybe you’d like to try something
new? Let’s make some changes; let’s make changes together. Come be a difference maker with IDHA as we move forward in
the restructuring of our Association. We need you and there’s always a space for you with your professional association. If
you can be a member and volunteer that’s wonderful. If you can’t volunteer your time, can you still be a member? If you feel
like you can’t do either, will you think about Edna? Even in her 90’s, and not practicing as a dental hygienist, she still feels by
being a member she makes a difference.
The next IDHA board meeting will be held on August 13 th at 700 S. College Drive, Springfield, IL beginning at 9:00 am. Maybe you’d like to join us and help us shape the future of our organization?
IDHA has great speakers and events planned for our Annual Session on November 4-6, 2016 in Westmont, IL.
I hope to see you at one or both events.
Enjoy your summer and don’t forget to reflect and “Keep Moving Forward”.
Gaylene V. Baker RDH, BSDH, MBA
IDHA President 2015-2016
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Volunteer Opportunities for Oral Cancer Screenings
Summer Oral Cancer screening season is upon us, and there are many events you can volunteer at. The Oral Cancer screenings are
FREE to those attending events in the various communities. Licensed dental providers, as well as anyone who is interested and
available to help out with checking in attendees, are needed to make these events a success. If you want to sign up, or need more
information, you can email [email protected].
The potential events are:
July 13th: 9am to 4:30pm Wheaton, IL (DuPage County Veteran Stand Down)
July 23th: 8am to 3pm Chicago, IL (A Safe Haven Veteran Stand Down)
July 24th: 11am to 8pm Lisle, IL (Veggie Fest)
July 30th: 7am to 3pm Bourbonnais, IL TeamSmile @ Bear's Training Camp)
Aug 5th : 5am to 9am Chicago, IL (WGN Back to School Kids Fair)
We have been fortunate to screen thousands of adults, caregivers, youth, homeless veterans and more over the past few years by
attending events like those mentioned above. CE credit available for those who volunteer per practice act guidelines. TRAINING
AVAILABLE.
"Be the Change you wish to see in the world...Volunteer"
Lydia Park; Alison Stahl; Christy Veihdeffer
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Senior Health Fairs
IDHA members are out bringing awareness of oral cancer and what dental hygienists’ do to improve the oral and
overall health of people by attending Senior Health Fairs in various locations. These health fairs are always well
attended and a great way to educate on the importance of regular dental care, what the educational requirements are
for a dental hygienist, and how dental hygienists’ are a vital member of the health care delivery system. In addition
to oral cancer screenings blood pressure screenings were provided.
IDHA members provided oral cancer screening and blood pressure screenings at Rep Bill Fortner and Senator Jim
Oberweis’ senior health fair.
Rep Fortner; Gaylene Baker; Kristen Lewin
Kristen Lewin; Gaylene Baker; Suzanne Freundt; Kim Benkert
At Rep Sandack’s senior health fair, IDHA members gave out new toothbrushes, talked about the impact of
medications on the oral condition, and the importance of a regular dental visit to have an oral assessment and oral
cancer screening conducted. Many didn’t know that you can develop oral cancer and other treatable oral conditions
even if they don’t have teeth. Thank you to Dr. Mason in St. Charles and Dr. Brawka in Oswego for their donations
of materials to hand out.
Chris Bethel; Gaylene Baker
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Fox Valley Dental Hygienists’ Society
Fox Valley component member Suzanne Fruendt with Dawn
Ritter, RDH or Tri City Health Partnership Dental Clinic making a donation. Tri City serves residents of central Kane
County or who work in central Kane County for a minimum of 20 hours per week, who are unable to afford
medical services, have an annual income at or below 250% of
the Federal Poverty Guidelines, and do not have third party
insurance coverage. Dental services are available for the
clinic’s medical clients. For volunteer opportunities, please
visit Tri City’s website at: http://www.tchpfreeclinic.com/
volunteers.htm
Illinois Dental Hygienists’
Association Officers
2015-2016 President: Gaylene Baker
President-Elect: Lisa Schmidt
Immediate Past President: Sherri Lukes
Treasurer: Rebecca VanHorn
Secretary: Jennifer Sherry
Speaker of the House: Christina Emmert
For a list of component trustees, committee chairs and ADHA delegation, please
visit https://www.idha.net. Under the
Members Tab, click “Meet IDHA” and
“Find Your Component”.
Fox Valley component member Suzanne Fruendt with Dawn Ritter,
RDH
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Fox College ribbon cutting ceremony to the new clinic took place on May 2, 2016.
The Fox College Dental Hygiene program is located at 6640 S. Cicero, Bedford Park, IL 60638.
Fox College Director Shirley Beaver and Dental Hygiene Faculty Katherine Ciecko-Barnum
The students of Fox College Dental Hygiene program and District 12 Illinois Senator Martin Sandoval
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Southern Illinois University to host community service days
Area dental hygienists, dentists, and student dental hygienists from Southern Illinois
University Carbondale will be participating in the 6th annual, "Give Adults a Smile Day"
on Friday, July 8, 2016 and the inaugural "Give Veterans a Smile Day" on Saturday, July 9,
2016. This two-day community service event will be held at SIU's Dental Hygiene Clinic,
Carbondale, IL. Vanna Mouser, an SIU Dental Hygiene student, had an idea to begin a service
project for veterans and so we acted upon this suggestion. We are excited to serve the patients
of the southern Illinois region and thank you to our veterans for their service and sacrifice for
our country's freedom.
Approximately 75 patients will receive free preventive services (exams, x-rays, cleanings, and
fluoride varnish) each day. These patients are uninsured, or are covered under IL Medicaid,
which does not cover adult preventive services.
A big thank you to the following dental companies for donating to this event: Hu-Friedy,
Crosstex, Young Dental, PDT, Glaxo-Smith-Kline, Crest Oral-B, and Johnson and Johnson.
Thank you to Panera for supplying breakfast items for the volunteers.
This program could not happen without our volunteers and we thank you for your time and
expertise. Also, thanks to SIU Dental Hygiene Program and Southern Illinois Dental
Hygienists' Society #12 for co-sponsoring this event.
Submitted by Jennifer Sherry
IDHA Secretary
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ILHy-PAC Hosts Paint Night
ILHy-PAC Committee hosted an evening of "Fun Raising" on Friday, April 29, 2016. The event took place at 2 locations, Naperville and
Glenview.
There was both painting and wine involved! As everyone who attended knows, painting is more fun with wine! It seems like everyone's hidden talents shown through that evening!!
Just take a look at the photos from both locations to see what a great time it was!
The ILHy-PAC committee also hopes that you will be able to join us during the IDHA annual session for another evening (Friday, November
4) of "Fun Raising"! Details will be coming out soon!
Carole Danielson
ILHy-PAC Chair
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TALES FROM A DENTAL HYGIENE TEMP
HOW BRATWURST EASED MY LOWER BACK PAIN:
The operatory I temped in was spectacular at first glance. The patient chair was very plush, and the room was
professionally decorated with expensive contemporary art work. I couldn't help but smile because the entire outside wall was constructed out of one gigantic window. Hallelujah let there be light! My happiness was short lived
though. It didn't take but a few minutes to realize that whoever Feng Shui'd this room needs to find a different occupation. Although everything looked beautiful it wasn't ergonomically friendly by any stretch of the imagination. The instrument tray pulled out from underneath the counter and was located directly behind me. I knew it was
only a matter of time before back strain would turn into back pain.
My ergonomic fantasy includes the following: I can sit or slouch however I want without an ounce of stress or
strain on any part of my body. Throughout the duration of every appointment each patient automatically maintains
a position which allows me to see inside every inch of their entire mouth without having to be a contortionist. Like a
surgeon during an operation I call out for what I need, and an assistant slaps it in my hand.
Forget the fantasy cuz it's back to reality. I start out the day trying to maintain good posture and use the mirror for
indirect vision. Unfortunately ergonomics goes to the wayside, and my posture slowly but surely goes to hell. The
patient starts pulling her head away from me. However; the progression is sooo slow I didn't realize that I'd been
leaning across the entire chair and the inevitable game of Simon Says begins "Can you please put your head back
into the headrest? Chin up. Open wider. Turn away from me. Could your tongue stop following me? Open, open,
wider, too wide can you close a little, can you please lift your chin and open wider?" This woman made it impossible for me to use direct vision. In my mind I'm thinking "Gee you can't seem to respond to any of my requests, so
I'll just hunch over and wrench my neck because obviously I forgot to say Simon says."
45 minutes into my third patient it finally happened. A slight miscalculated reach for the instrument tray set my
sacrum on fire!
Luckily I have a fabulous chiropractor. Chiropractors may not work for everyone or every situation but I know from
experience one (possibly two) trips to him will bring sweet relief! He uses a method which few chiropractors
around my area are trained in. It's called the Gonstead method, and many chiropractors have actually told me they
chose not to learn the Gonstead method because "it's too difficult." Seriously?! Difficult or not all I can say is "God
bless you Mr. Gonstead and your technique".
I always put an ice pack on my back prior to my chiropractic visit. It just makes everything move much easier.
When I went into the freezer to get my ice pack (we own about 6 of these things) there aren't any in there. My
daughter sprained her ankle a few days prior and iced it like mommy told her to. Apparently, Simon didn't say put
them back in the freezer!!!
Now, you're average person might panic in this situation but I'm not you're average person. Drastic times call for
drastic measures. Well, maybe I'll re-classify this as creative measures "plus". I planned on thawing out bratwurst
for dinner anyway, and I needed something frozen to ice my fiery sacrum.
Once again my chiropractor brought me sweet relief. Not only did my spine glide into place with little effort, but my
dinner was thawed out - just don't tell my family I had their dinner wrapped in a dish towel and shoved down the
back of my pants!
------------Take care!!
Terri Apostolou, RDH
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News from Lake County Dental Hygiene Society
On April 28, the Lake County Dental Hygienists' Society elected their new board members. Congratulations and thank you for stepping up to serve the dental hygienists in Lake County!!!
Introducing the LCDHS 2016-2017 Board Members:
Kym Dallstream ~ President
Cindy Gomez Arroyo ~ Vice President
Roberta E. Jeter ~ Secretary
Kimberly Carter Sykes ~ Treasurer
Terri Browne Apostolou ~ Trustee
L.H. Park ~ Delegate
Jill Howard Lenihan ~ Alternate Delegate
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Kennedy King Graduation Ceremony
On May 13, 2016 Kennedy King College in Chicago graduated the last class of dental hygienists before moving to
their new location at Malcom X College in Chicago. The graduation ceremony was a lovely event and the Chicago
Dental Hygienists’ Society was there to greet the new graduates and welcome them into the ADHA/IDHA as professional members and offered each graduate a gift. ADHA CEO Ann Battrell gave the commencement address to
the graduates and addressed the importance of professional growth throughout a career. A reception immediately
followed the ceremony. It was filled with proud graduates and their families, laughter, conversation, networking,
and delicious foods.
The 2016 Kennedy King College Dental Hygiene Graduating Class
Chicago Dental Hygiene Society Members Christy Veihdeffer, Rebecca VanHorn, Pamela Gipson
ADHA CEO Ann Battrell, Dental Hygiene Faculty Carole Danielson, CDHS members Christy Veihdeffer, Rebecca VanHorn,
Pamela Gipson, and IDHA President Gaylene Baker
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Annual Session Info
IDHA 2016 Annual Session and House of Delegates
IDHA will hold our 2016 annual meeting November 4-6 in Westmont Illinois at the IFT Robert M. Healey building in
Oakmont Illinois. This is sure to be a great meeting you won’t want to miss. This meeting is not just for Delegates, but
for all hygienists! ADHA has announced some great resources and agreements between the national, state and component levels to help strengthen our organization and help us better serve members. Delegates will be voting on some
changes to our yearly meeting structure and all members and potential members alike will want to hear of a potential
new format for next year’s membership meeting! Also IDHA has scheduled a couple of great speakers for Friday and
Saturday. Friday will feature nationally known speaker Dianne Glasscoe Watterson for a six credit CE seminar titled
“Advanced Hygiene Therapy: Developing a Comprehensive Approach”. This year on Friday, IDHA will host its’
Opening Ceremonies for the House of Delegates and follow up with an ILHY-Pac “fun”raising reception. Everyone
will want to stay for Saturday morning and an opportunity for two additional hours of CE with keynote speaker Todd
Cohen. Saturday after the House of Delegates will host the presidents’ reception as well, and Sunday will finish out the
weekend with the Third House of Delegates and installation of our new officers!
Here is the tentative schedule for the weekend, watch your email and the IDHA website for updates and registration
information.
Friday 8:00-9:00am: Registration and Exhibitors
9:00am-12:00pm Dianne Glasscoe Watterson, CE speaker
12:00-1:00pm Lunch and time with exhibitors
1:00-4:00pm Continuation of CE speaker
5:00-6:30pm Opening ceremonies and First House of Delegates
7:00-9:00pm ILHY-Pac reception, location TBA
Saturday 8:00-9:00am Registration
9:00-11:00am Keynote speaker, Todd Cohen
11:15am-1:15pm 2nd House of Delegates
1:15-2:00pm Lunch
2:00-5:00pm Continuation of the 2nd House of Delegates
5:00-6:30 Reference Committee Meetings
7:00pm President’s reception, location TBA
Sunday 8:00-9:00am Registration
9:00am-12:00pm 3rd House of Delegates
12:00pm Lunch to go
12:30pm Board of Trustees Meeting
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