Dr. Heather Carr president@cda-adc.ca Bringing the Profession Together in a Time of Change As I began my CDA presidency last April, I focused on the importance of working together to ensure the continued success of our profession. I promised to collaborate with the provincial and territorial dental associations to strengthen the relationships between our organizations and to look for solutions to the obstacles facing our profession. As individuals I respect and admire from across Canada united, we were able to accomplish much during a year of challenge and change. My colleagues and I made strong connections as we worked long hours, met on late-night Zoom calls, and committed ourselves to advocate for those who need us most. Together, we’ve done everything we could to influence the Canadian Dental Care Plan (CDCP) to give it the best chance to meet its potential for improved access to oral health care. In my role, I’ve aimed to be an honest and passionate, but measured, national voice for dentistry, while considering the potential impact on dentists and the importance of a strong oral health care system for all. I was fortunate to be in attendance when the program announced the start of patient applications in December 2023. I was there on your behalf to listen and express dentistry’s perspective during many media interviews. In every interview, I’ve stressed the importance of getting the CDCP right so we can take care of the patients who need it most. When Health Minister Mark Holland visited my practice in Halifax shortly after the announcement, I approached the conversation as a practising Canadian dentist. We had a clear and candid conversation about what it will take to provide care to our most vulnerable patients and how the CDCP can best achieve its goals. At times, the expertise of dentists and our contribution to the health of Canadians was not fully understood or properly appreciated. But we’ve persisted and have significantly improved the parameters of the CDCP. Have all our recommendations for an improved plan been implemented? Absolutely not! But we will continue to work towards a program that is fair to dentists and helps patients get the treatment they need and deserve. It’s been a pleasure and honour to meet fellow dedicated and caring oral health professionals from across Canada. I’ve been inspired by the unique perspectives each dentist brings and enjoyed every opportunity to share our professional and personal experiences. Through it all, I drew on my East Coast sensibility, passion, and humour to bring our national community together. I had the opportunity to get to know my colleagues, not only as respected professionals but as compassionate people. The CDA team, under the leadership of Dr. Aaron Burry, played a critical role and the CDA Board worked as a cohesive group to make tough decisions. I am grateful to all for their contributions. I’ve always believed that each one of us can make a difference by becoming involved in organized dentistry. As my presidency draws to a close, I know this to be true. I’ve done my very best to represent dentistry with integrity and honour. This year has been the highlight of my career and I want to thank you all for your passion and commitment to our profession. I also want to sincerely thank my family who made all of this possible for me with their love and support. From the President 7 Issue 2 | 2024 | CDA atWork
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