President's Column:

Change is coming.  We have been hearing that refrain virtually from every avenue that affects our profession.  From politicians in Washington D.C. to those in Trenton; from the AAPD to the NJDA, the way we practice will be different in the future.  It’s not a matter of IF, but rather WHEN.  Healthcare reform, the “Red Flag rule”, Amalgam’s effect on the environment, Electronic records, Identity theft prevention, Midlevel dental providers, Sedation restrictions, Head Start Initiatives, the list is endless.  All these changes have one common dark cloud—there is no money left in the coffers to fund anything anymore.

The New Jersey Academy of Pediatric Dentistry has unveiled an ambitious agenda for the upcoming 12 months that we hope will allow us to serve the needs of our members and keep us ahead of the curve.  We will continue our tradition of providing a variety of quality continuing education programs for the entire dental team at costs that are affordable and will allow our members and their team to fulfill the requirements for licensure easily.  At the same time we have attracted speakers of national and international repute whose programs are entertaining as well as informative.  We work closely with our neighboring state associations as well as UMDNJ and have co-sponsored many courses.  Stanley Malamed, Anna Fuchs, Dan Fischer and Gerry Sansom are just a few of the names that are part of our programs.  Our CE chairs and executive committee have done yeoman’s work to ensure the success of these ventures.

We are also proud to have established many important liaisons including with the AAPD, the NJDA, PAC, NJ State Legislators, the sedation committee for the AAPD to name a few, so that we may keep our members informed of impending changes before they actually happen.  This also allows us to give our input to the appropriate forum to influence change in a positive direction for our members.  In order to disseminate important information as quickly and efficiently as possible, we have started our transition towards electronic media.  Our website is up and running and is adding important new features, such as Fluoride water levels in the state, on a regular basis.  We hope that our membership will join in our effort to reach all those who participate in the care of children throughout NJ by regularly updating their contact information, especially their email addresses so we can eventually send out “e-minutes”.  We are also in the process of updating our constitution and By-Laws to better reflect our organization and its mission.

Finally, we were able to send to our membership, at no additional cost, a DVD that could be used in a variety of ways to enhance the establishment of a dental home for our youngest patients.  From Pediatricians to parents, the educational value of the DVD contents is immeasurable.  We have established contacts within the Head Start programs and provided information to our members to ease their participation with Medicaid HMOs to improve access to care.

Throughout all this we have managed to stay solvent and keep our dues at historically low levels.  All of us on the executive committee donate our time and effort and in some cases even contribute financially to fulfill our sense of responsibility to our membership.  Unfortunately, it seems that the same few people are involved.  Eventually, change comes and energy dissipates, Boomers retire and grandchildren call.  It is vital for the continued success of this organization to infuse it with new blood at the executive level. It is also important that the membership recognize that the organization represents all of NJ and not just the central part of the state.  Attendance at the three yearly evening business meetings continues to stay at abysmally low levels.  We cannot hope to exert influence and change our future if we cannot first change ourselves.  The time for complacency is past and it is no longer someone else’s problem.  It is up to all of us.  Let’s change first before we are left without choice.

Zuhair Sayany, D.M.D.

President

NJAPD

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