Headlines

OSAP Foundation Appoints Andy Whitehead, Releases Annual Report

OSAP is pleased to announce that Andy Whitehead has joined its Foundation Board, and in this capacity, immediately helped spearhead OSAP's first official annual report. "OSAP has been able to leverage limited resources into a list of accomplishments that is incredibly compelling," Whitehead said. "I was anxious to let others know how OSAP integrates its core expertise into projects that are impactful and 110% supportive of its mission to help ensure the safe and infection-free delivery of oral healthcare."

Whitehead is a former member of OSAP's Association Board and served as Chairman from 2005-2007. He has also chaired the fundraising auction for many years, raising the proceeds from $2,000 in 1997, its first year, to six straight years of more than $100,000 contributed per year.

"Andy brings tremendous experience and knowledge to the Foundation," said Don Marianos DDS MPH, Chairman of the OSAP Foundation Board of Directors. "With his expertise, the Foundation will be able to more fully support OSAP's global vision of safe oral healthcare for people everywhere."

Whitehead has more than 35 years of experience in the dental industry, working on both the distribution and manufacturing sides of the business and has been involved in infection control and safety throughout most of his career. He currently serves as Senior Vice President of Crosstex International.

Member Input Requested:   
 

1. Call For Board Nominations 
   
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   The Board of Directors is calling for nominations for an academic Board seat that will be opening in June. Doni Bird RDH CDA RDH MA (Santa Rosa Junior College) will be retiring her Board position and the Board will need a visionary leader representing the academic community to fill her directorship.   
   
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   Click here to access the nomination form and a package describing the expectations for Board service and the requirements for submitting nominations. Please note that the deadline for nominations is Friday, March 30. 
   
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2. Mandatory Influenza Vaccinations For Dental Healthcare Workers???
   
   Since 1981, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has recommended that healthcare workers receive vaccination against influenza in an effort to reduce transmission of the virus to their colleagues and to the vulnerable patients in their care. To date, inadequate progress has been made in terms of increasing yearly healthcare worker influenza vaccination rates.
   
   As a member of OSAP, do YOU think that the influenza vaccine should be mandatory for oral healthcare workers? Why or why not? Please let us know what you think by clicking on the thumb that represents your view. Be careful to click on only one as each click is counted.

ADEA/NOHC - Are You Going? 

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OSAP will be represented at the upcoming American Dental Educators Association (ADEA) meeting in Orlando, FL March 17-21 and the National Oral Health Conference (NOHC) in Milwaukee, WI April 30-May 2.  If you are planning to attend either of these meetings and would like to connect with OSAP, please send an email to tlong@osap.org. 

CDC Tours Filling Fast

Please note that if you are attending the 2012 OSAP Symposium Connecting to Drive Compliance and would like to participate in the tour of the David J. Sencer Museum at CDC headquarters on Thursday, June 21, the first tour is sold out.  There are still seats available for the 11:45 am and 2:30 pm tours.  Do not delay if you would like to take advantage of this experience.  To register for the symposium and optional tour, click here. 

Infection Prevention & Safety Updates

Link to In The News.   

Link to Agency & Association Update.  

Remember to check the OSAP Web site each day for Daily News Updates. 

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We THANK Our Members!

Your Generosity Makes A BIG DIFFERENCE 

 
Thanks to the following OSAP members who made generous donations to the OSAP Foundation during February:

J. Kirk Hess DDS FAGD, Robert Lloyd DMD, Robert Sergent DMD, Jean Wolff RDH MSEd, and The Richmond Foundation.

 
It's an easy thing to do, and it goes a long way to help OSAP achieve its vision of Safe Dental Care for People Everywhere. 

Welcome New Members

Please join the Board in welcoming the following new members who have joined during February:

Shannon Brinker CDA CDD, Alison Collins CDA MS, Shellie Gray DMD MPH, Julie Heyl RDH, Steve Marble, Brandonn Perry, Joan Sivers DDS, Julie Wagner CDA, and Beckie Wooters CDA RDA.

 
Thanks For Helping OSAP Grow 

Hats off to Jennifer Cleveland DDS MPH for bringing in new members during February. Every OSAP member (that means YOU) should try to bring in at least one new member each month. The result---more people around the world with the information to help make dentistry safer. Please encourage a colleague to join today. You can make a difference. Plus, you'll earn $10 OSAP Bucks for each new member you refer. Click here to learn more about becoming an OSAP member. 

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International

OSAP's mission reaches around the world. OSAP is seeking international reporters. If you would like to become an international reporter for OSAP, or you know someone who would like to become one, please contact Office@OSAP.org.

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OSAP Book Club 

OSAP member, Bev Isman RDH MPH ELS, is reading War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy and just started The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Therese Long's latest download is The Emperor of all Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee (see review below). What are YOU reading? 

In 2010, about six hundred thousand Americans, and more than 7 million humans around the world, will die of cancer." With this sobering statistic, physician and researcher Siddhartha Mukherjee begins his comprehensive and eloquent "biography" of one of the most virulent diseases of our time. An exhaustive account of cancer's origins, The Emperor of All Maladies illustrates how modern treatments--multi-pronged chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, as well as preventative care--came into existence thanks to a century's worth of research, trials, and small, essential breakthroughs around the globe. While The Emperor of All Maladies is rich with the science and history behind the fight against cancer, it is also a meditation on illness, medical ethics, and the complex, intertwining lives of doctors and patients. Mukherjee's profound compassion--for cancer patients, their families, as well as the oncologists who, all too often, can offer little hope--makes this book a very human history of an elusive and complicated disease. --Lynette Mong for Amazon.com.

We would like to hear more from you. Let us know at webmaster@osap.org what books you recommend for OSAP readers.

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Job Opportunity

Connecticut Department of Public Health - State Oral Health Director

The Connecticut Department of Public Health is recruiting for a State Oral Health Director. The position will be filled at the state managerial level.  Please click here to access the posting.

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Featured Product

If Saliva Were Red Training Video (DVD)

Named for Dr. James Crawford's landmark 1970s study that confirmed the presence of contamination in the dental operatory, the OSAP-produced video training system "If Saliva Were Red" features an 8-minute video (on DVD) that uses real dental professionals to highlight:

• common infection control and safety flaws,
• the cross-contamination dental workers would see if   saliva were red, and
•  how controlling contamination by using  personal barrier protection, safe work practices, and effective infection control products, reduces the risk of exposure.
   
Learn more. 

Editor:
Patricia Podolak DDS MPH
 
Editorial Review Board:
Lawrence Fish MBA

Therese Long MBA CAE
Anne Mills RN MSN COHN-S 
 
Official publication of the Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention (OSAP).
 

Copyright 2012 Organization for Safety, Asepsis and Prevention. Reproduction or republication strictly prohibited without prior written permission.  See Disclaimer at www.osap.org for further legal information.

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+1 (800) 298-OSAP (6727)  
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www.osap.org