The California Dental Association (CDA) is calling for the support of Congress during this difficult time.
As you know, dentists and other dental professionals have cut back on hours, postponed procedures, and greatly scaled back the delivery of care due to the coronavirus emergency.
We all understand these safety measures are essential. Together, we can help each other stay safe, healthy and plan for the future. This includes strong advocacy for relief and support for our industry; it’s needed more than ever before.
CDA is asking for support for dentists in the form of additional grants, prospective payments and long-term continuity loans to ease the pain of its members who may be affected by loss of income.
We fully support this type of advocacy and encourage our fellow dentists and other colleagues to contact their congressional representatives in an act of solidarity and self-preservation. Our collective voice can bring about the necessary resources that will protect dental practices and meet the challenges many small businesses are enduring.
The time to express your support is now as Congress deliberates on the next phase of relief to small businesses and health care providers.
Small Business Administration loans can prop up small business owners. That needs to be a major topic. Here’s what we hope will be addressed in the next round of relief negotiations:
- Additional funding for Paycheck Protection Program loans and Economic Injury Disaster Loans and Grants before these resources run out.
- Assistance to businesses like dental offices that have less than 10 employees with Small Business Administration loans.
- Rapid Small Business Administration loan processes that can provide relief to dental offices that have had difficulty accessing resources.
- Federal relief to dentists and other health providers with more urgency. A model is the CARES Act, which sent immediate assistance to hospitals.
We encourage dentists to join this plea for help.
While we continue to follow the guidelines set forth by state health officials, we all look forward to brighter days ahead when dentists can continue to help families stay healthy.