One more 50th greeting from the early years: Patricia Johnson, President 1969-1970 As we celebrate CDHA’s 50th Anniversary, I look with pleasure at what our profession has attained and with confidence to our future. Asked to reflect on the profession and on CDHA, as one of our association’s oldest members (yes, I admit it!), let me focus on the early years – a period of rapid development. I remember when, as alumnae of the School of Dental Hygiene, UofT (the first Canadian program), we undertook to establish an organization dedicated to the needs and aspirations of our fledgling profession. Following meetings and correspondence with known graduates, in 1963 several provincial associations and CDHA itself were founded. The following year in Edmonton, we held the first CDHA annual meeting with attendees from Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Nova Scotia. In 1965 in Quebec City, the first Board of Directors ratified our Constitution and CDHA was airborne. In 1968 (i.e., within five years), CDHA commenced its activist role with the presentation of a successful brief to the national Ad Hoc Committee on Dental Auxiliaries. The 1970’s were marked by CDHA’s expansion due to the inclusion of remaining provincial associations. Its horizons also broadened when, in 1970, it became a founding member of the International Federation of Dental Hygienists. The 1980’s saw CDHA advocating for an increased role for dental hygiene in Canada’s healthcare system. Methods (1) included participation on national advisory committees (a), promotion of needed regulatory changes (b), and support for relevant research (c). Over the years, we evolved from dental auxiliary to multi-faceted practitioner, with advancements in education, regulation, scope of practice, professional autonomy, career options, organizational development and public recognition. And CDHA continues to advance Dental Hygiene - to-day and into the future. 1 For example: a. Working Group on the Practice of Dental Hygiene. Ottawa: National Health and Welfare. 1988. b. CDHA Brief to the Health Services Review Commission. Ottawa: National Health and Welfare. 1980. c. Dental Hygiene in Canada, 1987: Current Profile and Future Directions. National Survey. Johnson, PM. 1989.
Posted on: Wed, 19 Jun 2013 20:12:59 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015