As the Vice-Chair of the Alberta College of Dental Hygienists (ACDH) Council, I am pleased to provide this message for the 2024 Annual Report, as approved by Council.

The responsibility of public members within the Council is to advocate for the interests of the public, and to execute the Council’s directives in a manner that also safeguards and promotes the public’s welfare. Collectively, we are responsible for understanding the values, perspectives, wants and needs of the Alberta public, and developing policies and bylaws within which the College and Council operate.

I am honoured to be the first public member to hold an officer position on Council with the ACDH. As a public member, I believe I have brought both a public and patient perspective and understanding to Council, and have also made sure to weave this into every strategic discussion.

This includes the work to conclude the 2020-2024 strategic plan, followed by the successful transition and roll-out of the 2024-2027 strategic plan. Building off of our old plan, the 2024-2027 plan created four strategic priorities (available on page 9 of the report) that will continue to strengthen our regulation of dental hygiene in Alberta.

They include:

• Advance the continuing competence program to support registrants in enhancing their delivery of safe, high-quality care.
• Ensure registration practices continue to prioritize public safety while effectively responding to legislative changes.
• Engage in collaborative and innovative approaches to drive regulatory advancements.
• Demonstrate our commitment to equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility.

We have improved accountability and transparency with our commitment to ongoing ACDH website updates and changes that meet the needs of the public and our registrants. Not only have we received two award recognitions for our revamped website, but College staff were recently invited to showcase it to other regulators at the Promising Practices Event held by the government’s Fairness to Newcomers Office.

Notable website developments in the past year include the creation of a practice owners webpage and redevelopment of registration pathway webpages. These changes continue to support the mandate of the College to ensure Alberta dental hygienists have the knowledge, skills, attitude, and judgment to provide safe, effective, ethical and beneficial oral healthcare services to the Alberta public.

College staff have also worked hard to update and improve guidelines from a public safety perspective, most notably the Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) Guidelines, which is a collaboration between four regulatory colleges.

The recent Council composition change to increase the public member representation to 50% ensures the Alberta public is safeguarded and heard. And with that, public members would like to extend their appreciation to the dedicated staff and Council members over the past year. I look forward to the continued implementation of the 2024-2027 Strategic Plan and its role in achieving the College’s purpose of supporting all Albertans in their health and wellness journey through the achievement of oral health regulatory excellence.