American Dental Association subsidiary adds $50,000 to Katrina disaster effort
The American Dental Association (ADA) announced that its wholly owned subsidiary, ADA Business Enterprises, Inc., has donated $50,000 to the ADA Foundation (ADAF) Disaster Response Fund for victims of Hurricane Katrina.
The donation matches the $50,000 each contributed by the ADA and ADAF, bringing the total amount to help seed the fund-raising disaster effort to $150,000. To date, the ADAF says nearly $300,000 has been received in cash and pledges.
From the thousands of inquiries received since the devastation of Hurricane Katrina, the ADA has developed a list of the most frequently asked questions, along with answers, to assist in providing information to the dental community:
Q. Where and how can I donate money?
A. You can help the victims of Hurricane Katrina -- dentist colleagues and their families and private citizens alike -- by supporting the ADA and the ADA Foundation's response to the disaster. Your financial support will help expand charitable assistance that is made available for ADA Foundation grants for dentists and their families in need of food, clothing and shelter; ADA Foundation grants to organizations providing dental services to affected areas; the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund; Louisiana State University School of Dentistry recovery needs; or, unrestricted, wherever help t is needed most. To make a donation, download the form on ADA.org (http://www.ada.org/goto/hurricane) and return via fax to 312-440-3526, or by mail to the ADA Foundation, Disaster Response Fund, 211 E. Chicago Av, Chicago, IL 60611, or call in your donation to the ADA Member Service Center on 800-621-8099 using a credit card by phone. The form allows you to indicate how you want your donation to be used.
Q. I am a dentist who wants to volunteer to do dentistry or to help the victims. Who can I contact and where do I go to do this?
A. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Red Cross are serving as clearinghouses and dispatch points for health care workers and other volunteers. Visit their Web sites to learn more.
** https://volunteer.ccrf.hhs.gov/ (dental care volunteers)
** www.redcross.org (lay volunteers)
Dentist volunteers can register on https://volunteer.hhs.gov or call the Hurricane Katrina Volunteer Call Center at 1-866-KATMED (1-866-528-6334). You will be contacted following registration and may be asked to deploy for 14 days to one of the sites where dental care is being provided. Field conditions will exist with little in the way of amenities. Twelve-hour shifts can be expected. Hepatitis B, tuberculosis and diphtheria shots must be up to date. In addition, a Hepatitis A vaccine is also recommended.
Additionally, the ADA is keeping a list of volunteers while we plan with Federal and local authorities how the dental profession can effectively target its services. Please keep up to date with ADA assistance efforts by regularly checking the ADA Web site. The direct link to Hurricane Katrina information is www.ada.org/goto/hurricane
Q. I am a forensic dentist and I want to help with identification. Where do I go to help with this?
A. See above. All volunteers are processed through the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). All interested individuals are required to complete an online application at https://volunteer.ccrf.hhs.gov/ or they can contact the Hurricane Katrina Volunteer Call Center at 1-866-KATMEDI (1-866- 528-6334). The Office of the Surgeon General will be contacting those who meet the requirements and needs on the field.
Q. I am a victim and I want to get a license in another state. How do I go about this and who do I contact?
A. Contact the state dental board where you wish to be licensed to see what provisions they might have for someone in your position. The state dental societies in all 50 states are being asked to help facilitate this process for dentists, so you also might want to contact the state dental society in the particular state where you would like to go. Contact information for state dental boards can be found at www.aadexam.org. Contact information for state dental societies can be found at http://www.ada.org/ada/organizations/index.asp
If you are a Louisiana licensee, you may not be able to obtain the documentation you need from your state dental board to apply for a license in another state. The ADA received the following suggestions from the Louisiana Dental Association as alternative sources that you can contact for documentation that state boards may accept:
** The Louisiana Dental Association. The LDA has a list of LA licensees.
Call 255-926-1986
** Your malpractice insurance carrier
** The DEA office (www.dea.gov or 800-882-9539)
** The Louisiana Department of Health and Hospitals. The Controlled Dangerous Substance Unit of this agency handles Louisiana Drug licenses. Call 225-342-9404.
Other suggestions:
** Verification of ADA membership. ADA membership requires a license in the state where you are a member. Call Tamica Head at 800-621-8099, x2614.
** Affidavits or testimonials from dental colleagues.
Q. I am a victim and need help with the basic necessities, and finding information on family members and friends, when I will be able to go back to my home state, etc. Who should I contact?
A. A helpful toll free hot line directs victims, volunteers, concerned family members, and others to the proper resources to get help or information:
From cell phones: 211
Out of state: 800-749-COPE
