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A Message for Corporate Member Provincial Dental Associations
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Below is a summary of the Canadian Dental Association’s (CDA) pandemic-related work-in-progress for the week ending April 9, 2020.
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Advocacy Updates
CDA remains in direct contact with Federal Government departments about the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 on dentists and their oral health teams.
New! Work with Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition:
CDA continues to work with the other members of the Extended Healthcare Professionals Coalition (EHPC) on a number of issues of mutual importance. This includes a joint letter to the Canadian Bankers Association to start a dialogue about providing relief to students who are undertaking training to become healthcare professionals. The federal government is providing relief on federal student loans, but students often have loans directly with institutions. The letter was issued by the Extended Healthcare Providers Coalition on April 7.
The Coalition is also jointly reaching out to the Department of Finance for a technical briefing on the newly introduced programs for businesses, employers and individuals as part of their COVID-19 Economic Response Plan to help mitigate the economic impact of the outbreak.
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Other Important Updates
CDA Help Desk:
- On April 1, 2020, the Federal Government unveiled subsequent information on the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy for employers and the Canada Emergency Response Benefit for employees. After CDA developed a roadmap on the available funding programs, CDA successfully launched its Help Desk service on April 6, in an effort to further assist dentists and dental office employees on how to navigate and access federal government support programs.
- The Help Desk service is now available to dentists and the dental team by calling 1-866-232-0385, M-F, 7:30 A.M. – 8:00 p.m. EDT.
- Any dentist who calls the Help Desk service for support also receives a follow-up email from a Help Desk agent with useful links. Follow-up emails to dentists based in BC offer a link to BCDA’s Dentist Wellness Program, while others receive a link to CDSPI’s Members’ Assistance Program (MAP) for mental health and wellness support. Corporate Member Provincial Dental Association (PDAs) may request customizations for these follow-up emails to dentists in their respective jurisdictions. Customization requests can be sent to Geoff Valentine, CDA’s Associate Director of Practice Support Services, at gvalentine@cda-adc.ca
- Ontario-based dentists are being redirected to ODA for information and services.
- CDA has also developed a roadmap section on its website which outlines:
- Corporate Member PDAs may use this bilingual social media package to co-promote the Help Desk service to their member dentists.
- Important: The Help Desk will be closed on Good Friday (April 10) and it will reopen for business on Easter Monday (April 13), from 7:30 A.M. – 8:00 p.m. EDT.
Teledentistry:
- CDA has been in discussions with CLHIA about using service codes, in sub-class 05200, as an interim solution for the representation of teledentistry services in insurance claims.
- CHLIA, in principle, has generally agreed on using these codes for remote consultations.
- Since this code is not covered by most insurance plans, insurance companies will require time to either add the code it to plans or map it to codes that are already covered.
- CDA has asked CLHIA to inquire if its members will reimburse claims for teledentistry services retroactively. CDA will communicate any further updates as new information becomes available.
Privacy and electronic communications:
CDA contacted a privacy lawyer to provide general guidance for dentists regarding privacy requirements when they communicate with patients using electronic means. CDA expects the guidance document to be available the week of April 13. It will be distributed to Corporate Member PDAs for their use, as they see fit.
Knowledge and Information Broker:
- CDA Oasis is employed by CDA as a primary channel of communication for delivering urgent information to the dental community during the pandemic.
- CDA Oasis produces a series of Video Interviews with members of the CDA Board and CDA’s COVID-19 Team. In addition to 2 videos produced by CDA Oasis last week, the following 3 videos were published this week:
- The TripleGuard Insurance Pandemic: Ed Dermit, President of CDSPI, explains that the pandemic coverage included in the CDSPI Triple Guard insurance plan is somewhat unique to Canada. He clarifies the difference between Pandemic Outbreak Coverage and business interruption coverage, outlines the benefits of Pandemic Outbreak Coverage, and details how participating dentists can register a claim.
- Update on COVID-19: Personal Protective Equipment & Recommendations from Regulators: Dr. Sandy Mutchmor and Dr. Aaron Burry discussed developments in the supply and use of Personal Protective Equipment, the latest recommendations from Provincial regulators, and balancing the need to provide emergency care while maintaining proper social distancing.
- Cybersecurity During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Anne Genge, a certified Privacy Professional and CEO and Co-Founder of Alexio Corporation, a global healthcare cybersecurity company had a conversation with Chiraz Guessaier, talking through some key cybersecurity considerations, including how to choose the right teleconferencing platform, and how to access your office network safely from home.
- CDA Oasis continues to work with some Corporate Member PDAs to prepare content that can answer their members’ questions.
- This week’s CDA Oasis Bulletin collated relevant and timely “news that you can use” related to COVID-19.
- CDA Essentials magazine is continuing its content creation and production process at this time. Issue 2 of the magazine is available to read online. Issue 3 of the magazine is scheduled to be completed in May 2020.
- The Knowledge Networks department also compiles, curates and disseminates the CDA Media Monitor email on a daily basis.
Social media: CDA is promoting the following content on its social media channels (Facebook, Twitter, Instagram):
- how to maintain good oral health at home;
- liking/sharing important COVID-19 personal health and safety awareness posts from federal government agencies and other key health organizations (e.g., WHO); and
- what dentists are doing to keep dental emergency patients out of the hospital emergency rooms. (coming next week!)
Personal Protective Equipment:
- PPE Donation: The Federal Government’s Buy and Sell portal continues to be available to procure excess PPE from organizations (including dental offices). PDAs are encouraged to make their member dentists aware of the portal and/or other available donation avenues in your respective communities.
- PPE Supplies: CDA is aware of supplies having been delivered to the Federal Government. The Federal Government is currently assessing the inventory for quality assurance, and supplies will be delivered to the provinces on a per capita basis. The Federal Government will keep 20% of the supply for emergencies, with supplies being targeted for hospitals.
- Mask sterilization and reuse: More information will be forthcoming on whether N95 masks can be sterilized and reused.
Financial:
- Corporate Member PDAs are advised to recommend dentists be proactive and contact their bankers and landlords about any hardships. It is best not to delay these discussions.
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Reminder: Mental Health and Wellness:
- The COVID-19 pandemic brings on financial pressures, unexpected challenges, unemployment, and difficult situations for dentists, their families and their dental office employees.
- CDA continues to actively promote available mental health and wellness support through CDSPI’s Members’ Assistance Program (MAP) via social media, its Help Desk service, and on its website. MAP can be accessed by calling 1.844.578.4040 or visiting www.workhealthlife.com.
- A daily post featuring a wellness topic will be published on CDA Oasis, starting the week of April 13. A reminder of the availability of MAP will be added to the post. In addition, interviews related to wellness and emotional wellbeing will be featured on CDA Oasis in the coming weeks.
- BCDA also has a Dentist Wellness Program available for member dentists and their families.
- PDAs are encouraged to share available mental health and wellness programs with dentists in their respective jurisdictions.
- A growing list of other available mental health and wellness resources is available in CDA’s COVID-19 Repository. PDAs are encouraged to access the information and share resources, as deemed appropriate.
Grading of the Dental Aptitude Test:
- Grading has been completed and the test specimens have been returned to CDA. Final processing of the scores is beginning, and scores for all of DAT components are expected to be released the week of April 13.
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CDA COVID-19 Resource Repository at a Glance:
New resources added!
CDA serves as a Repository for PDAs by collecting advice and available COVID-19 resources from external organizations and any sources that PDAs wish to share. The information is placed in the Repository and is exclusively available for use by the PDAs, for onward transmission to their respective dentist members, as deemed appropriate.
For quick reference, the following materials have been added to the Repository this week. For the complete resource listing, please log in to view them all. Login details on how to access the Repository are below.
Dental Schools, Research, Journal Articles and Continuing Education Resources:
- Dalhousie University: COVID-19: Protocols for treating patients (standard operating procedures; PPE checklist for suspected/positive COVID-19 patients; pharmacotherapy for dental emergencies; safety at work; and more);
- American Dental Association Continuing Education Recognition Program (ADA CERP) Approved Providers: CDA staff put together a sampling online continuing education course offerings.
Federal Government Resources:
Financial and Tax Resources:
International Resources:
- Australian Dental Association:COVID-19 Resources (Guidelines and Restrictions; Practice Policies; Posters; Infection Control; PPE Stock; Financial Support; HR Support; Mental Health Support, and more)
- American Dental Association:Interim Guidance for Management of Emergency (Apr 2)
- German Dental Association: A short summary of measures taken by the different countries to combat the outbreak of COVID-19 (Apr 2)
- McKinsey & Company:COVID-19: Implications for business
Legal Resources:
Mental Health and Wellness Resources:
- SilverCloud (Health Solutions by Shoppers): A stress management program to help you manage your stress and build resilience. Sign up and start with a short quiz; learn and practice up to one hour per week; access your program and tools when and wherever. Free for 60 days to all Canadians. Use pin: SHOPPERS
National Resources:
Provincial Dental Association / Regulatory Body:
COVID-19 Repository Access: PDA Executive Directors and CDA Board Members have exclusive access to the CDA COVID-19 Repository via the CDA Board Resource Website: https://boardresources.ca/covid/.
Log-in: Please use your existing CDA Board Resources login credentials to access the COVID-19 Repository. If you have trouble logging in, please email Dean Smith, CDA Manager of Information Technology, dsmith@cda-adc.ca.
Share: To include your organization’s resources in the COVID-19 Repository, please email Zelda Burt, CDA Communications Manager, zburt@cda-adc.ca.
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The COVID-19 pandemic in Canada is having tangible public health and safety impacts on all Canadians. The CDA COVID-19 Response Team continues to work diligently on a range of fronts to help minimize and mitigate the impacts of COVID-19 on the dental profession. CDA is working to address scientific, clinical, economic and business-related matters impacting dentistry, including efforts to increase awareness about the mental health and wellness of dentists, their families and dental office employees during these challenging times. CDA will communicate regular updates as information becomes available.
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