MEET WARD BLACKWELL
Louisiana Dental Association officers presented Ward with a clock honoring his 23 years of service at the LDA on his last day there .
PDJ : What are some of the initiatives or projects from your time at LDA that you are most proud of ?
BLACKWELL : I don ’ t mean to come across as boastful , but I could probably fill a couple of pages listing things the LDA accomplished in my two decades there of which I ’ m proud . But I ’ ll just name a few now . LDA ’ s performance in the Katrina recovery was the highlight , in my opinion . LDA provided over $ 400,000 in grants directly to members and helped secure another $ 1.2 million for them . We assisted members with housing , employment , licensure in other states , supplies and more . And , we worked with numerous stakeholders to turn a huge LDA budget deficit into a surplus in just one year . I ’ d also mention LDA ’ s considerable success in the legislature getting rate increases for dental Medicaid eight years in a row and passing bills addressing other third-party payer issues . The latter was recognized by the ADA with our fourth Golden
Ward and daughter
Madison skiing at Loveland Basin , Colo ., at about 12,000 feet elevation .
Apple Award in 2016 . Finally , the revamping of LDA ’ s endorsed vendor program resulted in a significant increase in value for members . Research LDA did in 2018 showed that a member doing business with just five of those companies saved on average more than $ 6,500 / year .
PDJ : The pandemic has altered so many plans and goals of organizations across our state . What are some priorities , other than the issues our members face related to COVID-19 , that you hope to focus on in the near future ?
BLACKWELL : There are SO many things I can ’ t wait to see PDA succeeding at , but I ’ ll try to focus on just a few . I ’ d really like to see PDA focus on supporting the dental schools and dental students in Pennsylvania . The schools have multiple , vital roles in oral health care , and advancing the PDA ’ s mission begins with helping the schools advance theirs . Membership is obviously an issue for any association these days . But to me , that begins with enhancing member value . We ’ ve already parlayed some ADA grant money into an innovative approach to a challenging third-party payer issue ( Assignment of Benefits ) and are laying the groundwork to take on even more issues that are hot buttons for PDA members . And since delivering value in almost all things is fundamentally dependent upon effective communications , I ’ m eager to see
14 SEPTEMBER / OCTOBER 2020 | PENNSYLVANIA DENTAL JOURNAL