AGD President Connie L. White, DDS, FAGD, met with members of Congress and federal agency officials in Washington, D.C., Feb. 12 to advocate for core AGD advocacy issues. Key areas of focus included insurance market reform, oral health literacy, the Human Resources and Services Administration’s Title VII funding for dentistry training programs and the opposition to expansion of Medicare benefits. Dr. White was able to meet with several dentists in Congress, including Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID) and Rep. Paul Gosar (R-AZ) as well as with the staff members of Rep. Drew Ferguson (R-GA). White is in the process of visiting AGD constituencies to listen to and understand the most pressing concerns of members in order to focus AGD advocacy efforts and messaging on the issues that most impact general dentists.

Visit the AGD Advocacy page for more information about efforts at the state and federal levels. If you have questions about a specific state bill or issue, including any not listed above, contact Ninia Linero, coordinator, government relations. For information on activities at the federal level, contact Michael Toner, manager, government relations.

If you are interested in connecting with other AGD members on advocacy and legislative issues, you may be interested in joining AGD’s Advocacy Community. Members use this community to exchange information, network and discuss issues. To request to be added, email agdconnect@agd.org.

Above: Dr. White is pictured with Rep. Mike Simpson (R-ID).