I do hope you had a pleasant holiday and have begun 2008 in good health and with a refreshed spirit. While January is usually a very busy time, this January of 2008 has been exceptionally so. It is hard to believe we are in Januarys waning days as I write this, but February looks much the same.

Legislative activities have kept your staff, our Governmental Affairs Council and Political Action Committee (PAC) especially busy. In 2007 we had very little dental related legislative activity, but we are making up for it in 2008. We are presently in the midst of bills advocating for the Independent Practice of hygiene, for a commission to study the Advanced Dental Hygiene Practitioner in New Hampshire, for further regulation of amalgam and numerous other bills relating to oral health, overall health, small business, privacy, etc. Our lobbyists, Jim Bianco & Associates, keep an eye on all that might affect our profession and also open some doors at the State House for us, but numerous dedicated volunteers and I spend much time giving testimony and contacting key individuals in New Hampshires General Court. We feel it is critically important to our profession and one of the key benefits we offer to our members.

In addition to legislative work, many other things are also happening at the NHDS office. Dues are coming in and are being processed (did you pay your dues yet?); registrations are being accepted for our March 7th CE program and the arrangements for our Annual Meeting in May are being completed (watch for brochure within the next couple of weeks); and the regular daily activities of serving our members and being a resource for the public continue.

While all these things are going on we are making an effort to communicate better with our membership. We have been sending a few egrams to the over 500 email addresses we have, but unfortunately less than half of you open them (we have the ability to know that through the software we have). This is a time where information is critical to decisions we make and actions we take, so please help us keep you better informed by checking your email a little more often.

Hope your February & March go well and also hope to see you at CE programs, component legislative nights and especially at our Annual Meeting in New Castle, May 15-17th. Please dont ever hesitate to call our office when you have a question or concern. If we cannot answer it we will try our best to get you to someone who can.

James J. Williamson Executive Director