Join effort to improve dental access in WA

Dental care is out of reach for too many, especially communities of color

OLYMPIA (Sept. 18, 2020) — The Washington State Labor Council, AFL-CIO invites all union and allied community organizations, and their rank-and-file members, to join the Washington Dental Access Campaign urging the State Legislature to stand with communities and respond to the COVID-19 pandemic with policies that address every aspect of health and well-being, including dental care.

Dental therapy is a budget-neutral workforce option that will improve health outcomes of Black, Indigenous, people of color (BIPOC) and rural communities and offers a tool for future economic stability to dental clinics, especially those serving our most vulnerable Washingtonians.

TAKE A STAND — Join the Washington Dental Access Campaign! Please sign this petition supporting better community dental care options. Leaders or unions and community allied groups can also sign up your organizations as supporters.

Our state’s oral health care system is in crisis. COVID-19 has made dental care, which was already out of reach for far too many Washingtonians, even harder to access. And like COVID-19, dental disease disproportionately impacts communities of color because of the long-standing institutional racism built into the healthcare system.

It doesn’t have to be this way. Dental therapy is a proven solution to the oral health crisis. It improves health outcomes, creates jobs, and helps dismantle racism with our healthcare system.

Dental therapists are primary oral health providers that deliver commonly needed routine and preventative care. Evidence shows that authorizing dental therapists can bring underrepresented communities into oral health professions, creating a dental workforce that reflects the community it serves.

Please put the interests and needs of families and communities over the special interests of the Washington State Dental Association by signing this petition today. We deserve better dental care options!