CDA Essentials 2019 • Volume 6 • Issue 5

10 | 2019 | Issue 5 CDA at W ork CDA president Dr. Sandy Mutchmor led the CDA delegation, which also included representatives of the Assembly of First Nations for some of the 30 scheduled meetings. He said the three key issues on this year’s agenda address growing health inequity in Canada: (1) better funding for public oral health programs, (2) support for a national pharmacare program that delivers access to Canadians with no other means of coverage, and (3) clean drinking water in First Nations communities. “Canadians who do not have access to regular dental care generally also have the highest oral health needs,” says Dr. Mutchmor. “By calling attention to the three issues at Days on the Hill, we are sending a message to government that policy decisions should focus on helping vulnerable groups and address underlying issues that contribute to the persistent health inequities we see in Canada. In the case of pharmacare, we also emphasized that the current system of paying for prescription drugs through employer- sponsored or privately purchased health plans serves most Canadians well, and any new program should not jeopardize that coverage,” he says. Better funding for existing public oral health programs can allow dentists to improve patient care for high needs populations, adds Dr. Nancy Auyeung, CDA Advocacy Committee member and general dentist in Winnipeg. Many of her patients who rely on publicly funded programs for dental care, especially children and seniors, find that the coverage provided through these programs is not enough to meet their treatment needs. The impact, she says, is devastating. “Some children never get a chance to know a life without dental pain or disease because there’s not enough money to complete all their treatment.” Dr. Michael Sullivan, CDA Advocacy Committee Chair and general dentist in Portage La Prairie, Manitoba, said the Days on the Hill meetings are about creating awareness and moving the dial on social and economic issues that have an impact on health. “Social determinants of health have to be addressed,” he says. “As a starting point, access to clean, potable water should be a right for everybody.” CDA’s Advocacy Committee comprises nine dentists from across the country who work year-round to influence a wide range of policies that affect the health of Canadians and the dental profession. Days on the Hill is their opportunity to focus on some key issues with federal decision-makers. a Dentists on the Hill: Focus on Health Inequities Over two days inMay, CDA’s Advocacy Committee met with cabinet ministers, members of parliament, senators and senior political staff as part of CDA’s annual Days on the Hill event.