2020 KDA Annual Meeting Held Virtually Via Zoom Webinar

Apr 8, 2024
On the afternoon of Friday, April 17, the Kansas Dental Association (KDA) held its 149th – and surely its most unique – General Assembly of membership. The KDA and its officers want to thank the nearly 110 members, who patiently joined the meeting via Zoom webinar format, and endured a few login and meeting glitches. For those members who could not get into the meeting or were “kicked out” due to bandwidth or other issues, we are truly sorry.
 
Most notably, the meeting featured a report on the ADA’s COVID-19 activities from ADA District 12 Trustee Dr. Terry Fiddler and ADA 1st Vice President Dr. Craig Herre. Dr. Fiddler’s and Herre’s comments included some insight into a soon-to-be released report from the American Dental Association (ADA) COVID-19 Task Force to address issues related to returning to practice. The KDA will share this report as soon as it is received.
 
Actions by the General Assembly included: 
  1. Approval of the 2020-2021 budget WITHOUT a dues increase
  2. Continuation of the advocacy dues assessment
In addition, Dr. Rob Dakin (Wichita) was elected KDA Vice President; Dr. Dan Nielson (Fifth) was elected KDA Treasurer; and Dr. Nealy Newkirk (First) was elected KDA Secretary. In addition, Dr. Jill Jenkins (Fifth) moved up to KDA President-Elect, while Dr. Allen Reavis (First) is now KDA President. Dr. Jon Siebrasse, who has completed his term as President, is now the Immediate Past President.
 

A Message From the KDA President

Following Dr. Allen Reavis' accepting the gavel as President and making some opening comments, he made the following remarks to the KDA membership:

When I was first elected to be on the KDA Executive Committee, I did not fully realize how much the ADA and the KDA do for the members, their teams, and the positive impact on our practices. I encourage everyone to utilize the services and resources available through your association, especially during this crisis. 

I am aware of the dental related political battles we had going on over the years. I was involved in several, as were many of you. It was OSHA, HIPAA, AIDS, PPO, HMO, Blood Born Pathogens, and the dreaded... Dental Therapy. Of course, most never go away completely. Nor do the acronyms.

ALL OF A SUDDEN – its all about an invisible enemy – a virus! Now we have a whole new set of terms and issues to deal with.

When I was a teenager – IDLE was something your car did at the stoplight and ZOOM was what you did between the lights! Now we have PPP, PPE, EIDL, and so the list goes on. Wow – how things change! AND will continue to change.

It is not the changes that will define us; it is how we handle it, how we work together, and how we succeed in that effort. As your President, with the officers, KDA staff, and the support of the membership, I promise we will weather this storm and come out stronger. We must focus on our long-term goals while getting through this COVID-19 crisis.

We will soon have the ADA COVID-19 Task Force announcement, we will continue to communicate everything we learn to you, and we will fight for our dentists every day.

We are just getting through the first phase of the COVID-19 crisis. The information flow and accuracy are a challenge for everyone. PLEASE – I ask, in this age of social media, rapid responses, and sometimes emotional distress due to the crisis...
  • We stay calm
  • We be better listeners
  • We help solve problems and seek answers to questions
Our profession, our teams, and our families deserve that, and they need us to be that person.

All of us at the ADA and KDA are here to help. Soon, we will be back at it with the insurance companies, dental therapy, over regulation of handheld X-ray units, and the list goes on. BUT – we will also be back with the Kansas Mission of Mercy (KMOM), Children’s Dental Health Month, actually attending a meeting in-person, enjoying social events with our colleagues, and a host of other professional and fun events that define us as the profession that we are.

I am proud to be a dentist and proud to serve you as KDA President for the next year. Now, let’s get out there and get back to work! May the 4th be with you!

Thank You,

Allen Reavis, DDS
KDA President