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• Disaster Relief

Hurricane Preparedness and Recovery for Dentists

Hurricane Season Begins
Prepare Your Family And Business

Hurricane season is now upon us! Do you have your family and business prepared? In addition to the FDA's handbook there are several websites that will help you plan for Hurricanes. Don't wait until a hurricane approaches before you start to plan. For help developing a family plan or a business plan, please visit www.floridadisaster.org.

The Florida Dental Health Foundation – Florida’s Dental Charity – has 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, and available local, state and national resources.

Another useful guide is available online. 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 for instructions.

FDHF Disaster Grant and Loan Program

The Florida Dental Health Foundation provides disaster grants and loans to members of the dental profession who are residents of Florida. Assistance is also available for Florida’s dental laboratories that have sustained damage during a declared disaster.

• FDHF Disaster Grant Application and Guidelines (PDF)
• IRS Form W-9 (PDF)

Note that all applicants must file an IRS form W-9 Request for Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification with both the FDHF Disaster Grant and Loan Program or with the ADA Foundation’s Grant Program (see description below). If you are applying for both programs only one Form W-9 is required.

ADA Foundation’s Disaster Assistance Grant Program

The purpose of ADA Foundation Disaster Assistance Grant Program is to provide assistance to members of the dental profession who have lost property in a declared disaster and to support provision of emergency dental care in areas affected by disasters. The ADA Foundation provides disaster grants in the following areas:

• Grants to dentists who have been affected by disasters to assist with immediate needs
• Grants to organizations which can provide dental services to affected areas

For Dentists

Applications and Rules for dentists are provided below for Disaster Grant Applicants. A dentist must submit the application directly to their component or constituent dental society.

• Disaster Grant Application (PDF)
• Disaster Grant Program Rules (PDF) 

For Non-Profit Organizations

501(c)(3) organizations that can provide needed dental care in communities affected by a disaster are eligible to submit a written request for support funds directly to the ADA Foundation. For further details, please see the Disaster Grant Program Rules below.

• Disaster Grant Program Rules (PDF)

Volunteer Opportunities

Dentists and staff members who wish to volunteer their services for hurricane relief efforts should pre-register at https://servfl.com.

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.