The largest state hygienists' group in the U.S. is threatening to end its 90-year affiliation with its parent group, the American Dental Hygienists' Association (ADHA). The California Dental Hygienists' Association (CDHA) says a proposed charter agreement imposes significant new obligations but no new benefits.
The dispute includes issues of incorporating component subgroups and changing logos and websites. But it really comes down to the CDHA trying to maintain local control and independence, CDHA President Lygia Jolley, RDH, told DrBicuspid.com.
"The biggest thing is them dictating to us how we govern and run our organization," she said.
The CDHA's House of Delegates will decide the issue when it meets June 3. The ADHA says 47 of its 51 constituent members have agreed to the new charter.
Oversight at issue
The proposed agreement far exceeds the oversight that the ADHA had previously exerted on the operations of constituent groups such as the CDHA, according to Jolley.
Lygia Jolley, RDH, CDHA president.In response to requests for comment by DrBicuspid.com, the ADHA forwarded a letter and a 12-page fact sheet, both of which were sent to its members about the situation.
In the April 25 letter, ADHA President Jill Rethman, RDH, wrote that if the CDHA votes to end the affiliation it will have "a significant impact on California dental hygienists," adding, "No one is more disappointed in the action CDHA's board has taken."
The CDHA, which has 2,768 members in 25 component subgroups statewide, is the largest member of the ADHA, which has 35,000 members. Components are regional groups in the state organization. There are component societies, for example, in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and San Diego, but also in areas such as the Monterey Bay region and the San Fernando Valley.
Currently, CDHA members are required to join the ADHA, the CDHA, and a component subgroup as part of the tripartite system.
New filing requirements
Some groups may not realize the extent of the new requirements, Jolley said.
"Some of the groups are a little surprised after they signed and found out what was in the agreements," she said. "I think some of them took the ADHA at face value when they told them they have to sign it because it's in their best interest."
The CDHA has been active in workforce issues affecting California hygienists, such as the successful effort allowing hygienists to practice independently, Jolley said.
The charters are the first formal agreements between the ADHA and its constituent members. Previously, there was only an understanding of the affiliation between the ADHA and its member groups.
The new charters are needed "to ensure legal, fiduciary, and ethical compliance for ADHA constituents and components," according to the ADHA fact sheet. The requirements will protect members from being sued or embezzled from, the ADHA said.
The new requirements include filing several federal and state tax forms, which will cost a lot more time and money, Jolley said. The ADHA estimates filing costs to be about $700, but Jolley said the cost for each component could range up to $2,000.
"I don't think they fully understand the impact on a large state like California," she said. "I come from a small component, and we can't afford that."
Dues collection, website changes
Currently, CDHA members pay about $350 per year in dues that are sent directly to the ADHA, which then disburses money back to the CDHA and their subgroups. The system differs from other professional groups, which collect their own dues, Jolley said.
"If California wanted to collect their own dues, we cannot do that," Jolley said. "We have to send our dues to the ADHA."
Not all California hygienists are members of the CDHA.
"There are a lot of hygienists who aren't members simply because they think it's too expensive," Jolley said. "Maybe if we were receiving funding for their issues and what's going on in their state and using their money toward that, they might be more apt to join."
What happens if the CDHA leaves?
Perhaps the most significant part of the new agreement requires the CDHA to surrender all financial assets to the ADHA if it leaves. The ADHA would also create a rival California group to ensure "that the historic tripartite structure of ADHA and the dental hygiene profession is maintained, and to ensure a coordinated and aligned profession exists in all 50 states," the ADHA said in the fact sheet.
The CDHA has assets totaling "hundreds of thousands of dollars," Jolley estimated.
"Who gives them the right to dictate and come in and take our money?" she said. "They say they can take our money if we break away from them, and that we can't compete with them for two years. That's a threat, and we don't cave in to threats."
Jolley said she is not sure how the delegates will vote.
"I have been in meetings with members, and a lot of them are supportive and some feel they want to stay with the ADHA," she said. "This is a personal decision."
If the CDHA breaks away, its members can still be part of the new tripartite group that the ADHA will set up.
The CDHA called the new agreements "very onerous," saying they are a "one-size-fits-all" charter that doesn't take into account variations in state laws.
"This whole thing is about being a dictator," Jolley said. "It's not about a logo; it's not about the dues; it's about dictating to us how we're going to run the California Dental Hygienists' Association."
