Day on the Hill 2007

OMSs Head to the U.S. Capitol for the 7th Annual AAOMS Day on the Hill

James Paluskiewicz, Chief of Staff to the late U.S. Representative Charlie Noorwood (R-Ga.), addresses AAOMS Day on the Hill participants at the Tuesday night reception and dinner.

The 7th annual AAOMS Day on the Hill took place Wednesday, April 18, 2007 at the Fairmont Washington Hotel. It was another well-attended event with roughly 60 OMSs from 22 states participating.

AAOMS kicked off Day on the Hill on Tuesday, April 17, with a cocktail reception and dinner. As a special surprise addition to the agenda, James Paluskiewicz, Chief of Staff to the late U.S. Representative Charles Norwood (R-Ga.), addressed the members and expressed his gratitude for the strong working relationship AAOMS had with the late Congressman. He also offered several helpful hints to participants on how to have a successful meeting with their elected officials.



U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.), AAOMS President W. Mark Tucker, DDS, keynote speaker Morton Kondracke and AAOMS President-elect Lee D. Pollan, DMD, MS

The evening featured well-known political pundit Morton Kondrake, who spoke about the political climate in Washington and what to expect with the 2008 Presidential Elections. AAOMS also heard from U.S. Senator Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) who addressed the current state of healthcare in our nation and the leg he has been working on to restructure America's health insurance. Following his remarks, Senator Wyden engaged in Q & A with AAOMS members regarding his insurance plan ideas.

On Wednesday, April 18, the day began early with a breakfast session featuring U.S. Senator Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee and U.S. Representative John Shimkus (R-Ill.), member of the House Energy and Commerce Committee. AAOMS's Washington lobbyist, Bill Applegate, provided an update on congressional activities pertaining to health care and what to expect as our doctors prepared to meet with their Congressional leaders.

AAOMS's Washington D.C. Lobbyist Bill Applegate, U.S. Representative John Shimkus (R-IL) and Michael Menis, DDS

Following the morning program, AAOMS members headed up to Capitol Hill for scheduled meetings with nearly 100 Members of Congress and their staff. Due to a scheduling conflict, U.S. Representative Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY) was unable to participate as one of the morning speakers and instead made herself available exclusively to AAOMS members later that morning on the Hill in a private room. All AAOMS member were invited to meet her and discuss the legislation she had introduced regarding access to treatment for childhood deformities and craniofacial abnormalities (CARES Act; H.R. 1655).

Several members of AAOMS Leadership participated in a special meeting with U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-Alaska) who recently became the longest-serving Republican Senator in United States history and has been a key player in the Alaska dental health aide therapist issue.

Members of AAOMS Leadership meet with U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK). Pictured from left to right: AAOMS Executive Director Dr. Robert Rinaldi, AAOMS Chair of the Committee on Government Affairs Gerald Gelfand, DMD, AAOMS President W. Mark Tucker, DDS, U.S. Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK), AAOMS Vice-President R. Lynn White, DDS and AAOMS immediate past president Jay Malmquist, DMD

In addition to educating Congress about the specialty of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, participants advocated for a number of OMS issues, including: support of legislation to protect and promote access to treatment for childhood deformities and craniofacial abnormalities (HR 1655 - Children's Access to Reconstructive Evaluation and Surgery (CARES) Act of 2007); a legislative fix to allow OMSs the ability to refer patients for physical therapy; a resolution that was to be introduced by the late Congressman Charles Norwood designating April 2007 as National Facial Protection Month; support for the ADA's Meth Mouth Prevention and Community Recovery Act; support of legislation to stop annual Medicare physician payment cuts triggered by the Sustainable Growth Rate (SGR) and replace it with a formula that provides annual updates reflecting increases in physician practice costs; and finally, support of the Children's Dental Health Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 1781/S.739).

The 2008 Day on the Hill event will take place Wednesday, April 16 at the Madison Hotel in Washington, DC.