Important updates regarding returning to work and the availability of PPE supplies.
WSDA has been engaged in important COVID-19 dialogue with state authorities and other health care organizations about returning to non-urgent care and the availability of PPE supplies. These efforts have been complimented by thousands of grassroots advocacy messages submitted to Governor Inslee by dentists, physicians, and other health care providers in the last 24 hours.
The following are a few important updates that have developed today.
Interpretive Statement Issued on Proclamation 20-24
In response to Governor Inslee’s March 19 proclamation, Washington state health care providers halted all non-urgent (“elective”) medical and dental procedures. Per Proclamation 20-24, elective care and procedures were defined as “…health care services, procedures, and surgeries that, if delayed, are not anticipated to cause harm to the patient within the next three months.”
While this proclamation is still in effect, WSDA is pleased to announce that Governor Inslee has issued an Interpretive Statement that provides additional guidance on criteria that should be used when determining what care should be provided and PPE prerequisites for providing care. This guidance clarifies that the proclamation allows dentists to perform certain services and procedures many had previously concluded were prohibited; however, this guidance is not meant to signal business as usual.
WSDA is carefully reviewing this Interpretive Statement and is in the process of obtaining clarification from state officials on facets of this order. We will share additional guidance tomorrow.
Update on PPE Supply Discussions
As part of its ongoing meetings with state officials, WSDA leadership was able to speak with Vice Admiral Raquel Bono, the state’s Director for COVID-19 Health System Response Management, to discuss availability of PPE supplies, including N95 masks, for use in dental offices. WSDA has requested that dental providers, who must perform aerosolized procedures for emergent care, be placed in a higher priority tier in the state’s “Prioritization of Allocation of PPE” guidelines. WSDA also requested that dental offices be placed in a higher priority tier for PPE as restrictions on non-urgent care continue to be eased and eliminated. Today’s conversations on PPE supplies were encouraging. WSDA will communicate changes in state-issued PPE prioritization in our ongoing conversations with dental supply companies.
In addition to our PPE discussions with state officials, WSDA reached out to major dental suppliers in our state asking that they supply a statement on PPE availability that we could share with membership. These statements are current as of April 29.
Supplier PPE Statements
We will share more information on these important topics very soon.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dennis Bradshaw
WSDA President