As most of you are probably aware the Manitoba government has declared a state of emergency in this province as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Thank you to everyone for working towards social distancing and self-quarantining, both professionally and personally. It is apparent that dental hygienists remain ready and willing to respect the health of all Manitobans.
The CDHM continues to strongly recommend that dental hygienists suspend provision of all non-essential and elective oral health services until further notice.
Defining Emergency: In the oral health field, a true emergency situation includes oral-facial trauma, significant infection, prolonged bleeding or pain that cannot be managed by over-the-counter medications. There are few instances where dental hygiene services would qualify as a true emergency situation.
Managing Oral Health Emergencies: We are aware that dental hygienists in dental offices may be working as part of the oral health care team to provide emergency care to clients. In those cases, you are expected to follow appropriate IPC infection control procedures. There are, of course, additional screening measures that must be adhered to due the COVID pandemic. Pre-screening dental emergency patients is important by telephone and in person according to the Shared Health MB recommendations. The link to these measures is listed here.
New Shared Health Information sheet on appropriate mask usage is here.
The latest update link from Shared Health can be found here.
If you have any questions related to employment matters, including eligibility for Employment Insurance or other financial assistance, please direct them to CDHA.
On a personal note thank-you for your ongoing professionalism and patience during this time. We are available to answer your questions, preferably by email, but we are also receiving calls
remotely.
Arlynn Brodie
Registrar, Executive Director
CDHM