Canadian Dental Hygienists Association Supports Health Action Lobby’s Call to Action on Health Care – The Canadian Way

The Canadian Dental Hygienists Association (CDHA) joins other members of Canada’s Health Action Lobby (HEAL) to remind federal leaders that Canadians want government to make the challenges facing our health-care system a priority. Public opinion research consistently reveals that Canadians care deeply about finding the sustainable and cost-effective options that will enhance our national health. And healthy Canadians make for a healthy and competitive economy. Yet, to date, policy debates associated with the 2015 federal election have rarely focused on health care.

Through its Consensus Statement entitled The Canadian Way- Accelerating Innovation and Improving Health System Performance, HEAL has issued a call to action, contending that an effective health system depends on enhanced collaboration among all levels of government. HEAL also expects the federal government to re-assert its legitimate and facilitative leadership role.

With the aging of Canada’s population, CDHA is particularly concerned about the oral health of seniors and access to care for those residing in long-term care. “Long-term care residents have a high prevalence of untreated yet preventable oral diseases, which frequently result in more costly emergency procedures,” explains Mandy Hayre, CDHA president. CDHA is currently developing a position paper on access to oral health care in long-term care, which will identify the complex needs of this population and offer viable solutions for reducing the burden of illness across the system. “The federal government has a leadership role to play by collaborating with the provinces and territories to ensure that long-term care and homecare regulations and standards include daily mouth care and professional oral health care services,” Hayre adds.

Serving the profession since 1963, CDHA is the collective national voice of more than 26,800 registered dental hygienists working in Canada, directly representing 17,500 individual members including dental hygienists and students. Dental hygiene is the sixth largest registered health profession in Canada, with professionals working in a variety of settings, including independent dental hygiene practice, with people of all ages, addressing issues related to oral health. For more information on oral health, visit www.dentalhygienecanada.ca.

HEAL is a coalition of 39 national health and consumer associations and organizations dedicated to protecting and strengthening Canada’s health system. Created in 1991, and representing more than 650,000 health-care providers and Canada’s largest health organizations, the major focus of HEAL’s activities has been on the federal role in health and health care. The Canadian Way Consensus Statement calls for health sector reform and funding initiatives grounded in compassion, consensus, and collaboration.

For more information, please visit:  www.cdha.ca/. 

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