Illinois Dental Hygienists' Association and the Public Health Dental Hygienists of Illinois need YOUR'S and your friends/family's help with getting this Senate Bill passed in Illinois that will allow an expansion of practice settings to allow the PHDH to see patients in nursing homes- where dental care is vastly over looked and the elderly at high risk for aspiration pneumonia (and death from) of the oral bacteria from poor oral health. Very simple to sign a witness slip stating that you are in support of this bill passing into law.  We need you to sign the slips stating PROPONENT for SB 2561! Instructions available here.

See here for the FACT SHEET regarding what this bill is about.

See here for the ISDS FACT SHEET with misleading and incorrect information about this bill and what the PHDH does, also what IDHA is trying to accomplish. IDHA will post the correct information in direct response shortly. The ISDS version was sent to their members and sent to legislators as an incorrect statement to create fear that dental hygienists want independent practice. Illinois dental hygienists are not in any way looking to gain independent practice, in fact the PHDH must be directly employed (and paid) by the dentist they hold a collaborative agreement with. Expansion of practice settings is meant to assist with the Federal health initiative of Healthy People 2030.