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Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery for Dentists

Florida again experienced a number of destructive hurricanes during the 2006 hurricane season. In response, the Florida Dental Health Foundation – Florida’s Dental Charity – partnered with the American Dental Association Foundation to produce a model Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Manual for Florida dentists.

The Five Step Guide for Disaster Preparedness and Recovery is based on the experiences of dentists who lost or suffered damage to their offices and homes. It covers how to prepare your office; what to do if a storm strikes your area; local, state and national resources that are available; and FDA, ADA, and FDHF application forms to assist in your recovery.

The guide – along with all the application forms for recovery assistance – will be included in the Today’s FDA Sourcebook.

Another useful guide is available online here. Created by the risk management experts at FPIC, the booklet, Disaster and Recovery Plan: Physician Office Practice, contains a model for disaster and recovery planning designed specifically for a doctor's office. An extensive checklist format covers things from protecting patient records to third-party billing measures - all designed to help mitigate loss and facilitate recovery.

Stay in Touch

Above all, stay in touch! After a storm passes through your area, be sure to contact your district dental association. Our experience suggests dentists who contacted their component executive directors early, and maintained contact, fared better than those who did not. The information they shared allowed the executive directors to focus their resources on helping those in need recover more quickly.

Damaged Medical Records and Equipment

If dental records, computers and/or X-ray machines in your office were damaged during a hurricane, contact the Florida Department of Health at www.doh.state.fl.us//mqa/faq-hurricane.html for instructions.

Volunteer Opportunities

Dentists and staff members who wish to volunteer their services for hurricane relief efforts should call (800) FLHELP1 or visit www.disasterhelp.net/vflorida. Practitioners must have good and valid professional licenses.

Information from the Florida Department of Health on how to sign up for volunteer dental duty following a disaster can be found here.

Hurricane and Disaster Relief Contributions

If a hurricane misses you, embrace your good fortune and consider helping those who didn’t fare as well. Rest assured that 100 percent of your contribution will go to a fellow dentist through a grant or loan. We can safely say we never have enough disaster funds to help fellow dentists who’ve lost everything.

Show you care by downloading and returning the contribution form with your donation.