KDA Today

KDA Today

For Immediate Release

Date: Aug 20th, 2024
Contact: Dr. Cliff Lowdenback
Phone: 800-292-1855
Email: kda@kyda.org

Win, Lose or Draw

I am dating myself with that title, but hopefully, some of you remember the late 80s game show called Win, Lose or Draw. As I reflect on the past year serving as the KDA President, I feel like we made positive strides on several fronts. The main focuses have been membership, advocacy and non-dues revenue which have resulted in some wins and losses. Let’s take a closer look at each of those areas and the title of this article will then speak for itself.

First is membership and over the last year that has been a loss for the KDA. At a recent ADA meeting, sadly, we were recognized as the state with the highest percentage of non-renewed members. This past year we have had over 160 members who did not renew their KDA memberships, which hurts us on all fronts. At our upcoming annual meeting, we plan to have a brainstorming session during the House of Delegates to get input on how we can, not only slow down this trend, but reverse it.

The second area is advocacy, which was a draw over the last year. We had a strong presence in Frankfort including our most successful Lobby Day to date. We advocated to keep fluoride in the water, to clean up HB 370, to increase Medicaid reimbursements and to pass an Assignment of Benefits bill. We were able to stop the anti-fluoride bill from being passed and we made headway with Medicaid reimbursements. However, we were unable to get our cleanup bill and AOB bill to a vote. The focus now becomes working on our network of dentists in becoming key contacts to their state legislators so that these bills will move quickly through Frankfort in 2025. The groundwork has been laid and now we just must keep the momentum moving forward.

Last is non-dues revenue and it was a big win for us over the past year. A non-dues revenue workgroup worked efficiently to bring several new patrons to the KDA that also have a revenue stream for the KDA as members use their products. The biggest of these is the new KDA 3P buyers’ group that will give our members access to an established network of discounts on products and services. This is a win/win because the savings can more than pay for someone’s KDA membership, plus, the KDA has new revenue stream to help the budget. These revenue streams will become increasingly important, especially if our membership numbers continue to decline.

So, as you can see, we had a Win, a Loss and a Draw over the last year. I assure you all that the KDA board works extremely hard on your behalf throughout the year. All of this hard work is made possible by the wonderful staff we have working behind the scenes. BIG thanks go out to Janet, Melissa and Todd. As I pass the gavel this August, I have no doubt that KDA is in great hands under the leadership of our executive director, Dr. Steve Robertson and incoming president, Dr. Matt Milliner. It has been an honor to serve you all and the future is bright! Let’s all keep saving the world, one tooth at a time!

Respectfully,
Cliff Lowdenback
2024 KDA President

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