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Health Occupations (HOTT)
Health Occupations for Today and Tomorrow
By Halley Lee, South Dakota Department of HealthDid you know that by the year 2012, nearly 11,000 additional healthcare workers,
including dentists, dental assistants, and dental hygienists, will be needed in
South Dakota? Did you know that there will be a 21% decrease in the number of
high school graduates by the school year 2012/2013? Did you know that by the
year 2025, South Dakota will have the 9th highest proportion of elderly
nationally? Scary statistics, aren't they? So...are you ready? Do you know what
these stats actually mean? Simply speaking, they mean that as our baby boomers
retire and leave the healthcare workforce they are subsequently aging, requiring
additional healthcare services. At the same time, there are fewer and fewer high
school graduates available to replace them in the workforce.
To address this looming crisis, the SD Departments of Education, Health, and
Labor along with the Board of Regents, have created a new program to address the
critical need for healthcare workers in the state. Health Occupations for Today
and Tomorrow (HOTT) focuses on health career education for elementary, middle
and secondary students. HOTT offers students opportunities to learn about and
experience healthcare career pathways such as medicine, dentistry, nursing, and
allied health.
So...do you know what you can do to be sure you have an adequate dental
workforce to meet the crisis head-on? For starters, watch for an exciting new
educational opportunity created just for the dental workforce. The Office of
Rural Health, in conjunction with the South Dakota Dental Association, has
created a fun activity for dental professionals to use in making presentations
to schools and youth groups. Students will sharpen up on their dental care facts
and learn about dental careers when you introduce them to the interactive game
Dental Jeopardy! Dental Jeopardy provides a presenter with an innovative
approach to educating students on preventive dental care, as well as the careers
associated with oral care. The first version of this activity is available on
the HOTT website (see below) under the "Lesson Plans" area.
For more information on Dental Jeopardy or on the HOTT initiative in general,
contact Halley Lee, South Dakota Department of Health at 605-773-6320 or visit
the website at www.sdjobs.org/sdhott.
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Consumer Center
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News Items
2010 Legislative Session in Final Week
The SDDA's legislation to preclude insurance companies from dictating maximum allowable charges for non-covered services has cleared the Senate and the House and is on its way to the Governor's desk.
While there is no overt action to reduce funding for the Adult Dental Medicaid Program, on-going efforts to cut spending - in order to balance the State budget - require us to keep a watchful eye on the Program. Adult Dental is the only optional program within the Medicaid Program. We continue to closely monitor the budget process closely and it appears, at this time, that the Adult Medicaid Program will not be cut.
Follow Legislative happenings by using our online grassroots advocacy system. All members can access updated information on legislation affecting dentistry through the SDDA's web site. Members should go to the Advocacy page on the web site ( click here) to access the online system. Once in the system, members can peruse a list of bills the SDDA is following, track the legislation as it works its way through the process and read background information on the legislation. The system will also allow members to view how their Legislators voted on our issues. The system is password protected - members should use SDDA as the user name and their ADA number as the password. |
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