Impressions
Driving Home Our Message by Dr . Stephen T . Radack III , Editor
In February , our district was having a virtual meeting to discuss the Governance Task Force report . Two of our younger members who are leaders in our district attended this meeting , along with several seasoned leaders who were also in attendance . It was a real history lesson for the newer members to hear about the PDA governance of the past since the current model is all they have known . When the meeting ended both were appreciative of the knowledge and history that was shared during that hour .
What struck me and some of the other seasoned folks in that meeting was the question one of the young leaders asked . I know they were anxious because it was off the topic and we had a tight time schedule that evening . They asked what they should tell their friends and young colleagues the value of belonging to ADA and PDA is . They said they had just paid their dues and it was a lot of money , and wondered if it was really worth it . They are paying student loans and in the process of purchasing a practice . My immediate thought was , how did a member get to this point and why don ’ t they know what organized dentistry offers them and our profession that makes the cost of membership worth it ? What made it even more puzzling was that one of their parents had been a member their entire career !
Have we not communicated our message ? I know this publication has produced several issues in recent years dedicated entirely to membership and the benefits of being a member . We have even sent those issues to all the non-member dentists in Pennsylvania as a recruiting tool . In addition to this Journal , PDA uses multiple platforms to reach out to our members : emails , the PDA Go mobile app , the Front St . 411 videos , Facebook , Twitter and most recently , Instagram . Has the lack of face-to-face meetings these last two years caused such a disconnect that members are questioning what ADA and PDA do for them ?
I know almost all of the “ benefit ” of belonging since March of 2020 seems to be in the value we have received from the constant communication from our associations on COVID-19 and how it affects us , our practices and our patients , and how organized dentistry has advocated for the profession with all government entities .
Since we have been isolated during this time period , the camaraderie that many of us have truly appreciated during our careers has been lost . Would this member be asking the same questions if in-person local meetings had been held the last two years , with all of the professional and personal connections we are all accustomed to ? Would there have been opportunities for past leaders of our local to share their experiences and why they value their membership ?
I am sure if there is a member here in my district asking these questions , then it is happening across Pennsylvania and the country . Where do we go from here ? As this pandemic seems to be coming to an end ( fingers crossed ), it is time to renew the focus of our associations ’ efforts in driving home the message of the value our membership . When I graduated , most of us joined for the camaraderie , networking and the Great-West Life insurance rates from the ADA . Over the years , so many additional benefits have been added . A few are the ADA and PDA Advantage Plans , insurance opportunities through both the ADA and PDAIS , dental supplies through PDA Perks , both in-person and online CE , ADA Practice Transitions ( ADAPT ), and for so many , the most important benefit is the advocacy that the associations work for on our behalf at both the state and federal levels .
Once we get back to meeting in person again , it will also be up to the seasoned members of the association to share their experiences with younger members . Not everyone has the same reasons for being a member and for writing that check at renewal time every year . I believe the more our young members learn from each of us the more they will see the value in remaining a member . It is my hope that each of us finds membership invaluable and that we can get to a time and place where the question that member in my district asked may never need to be asked again .
— STR3
MARCH / APRIL 2022 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL 5