New Legislation
Senate Bill 2921was signed into law April 27, 2006. It is now known as Public Act 94-0733 and extends new powers to the Secretary of Financial and Professional Regulations during a declared disaster. In conjunction with the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, requirements for temporary or permanent licensure during the emergency actions may be suspended. Additionally, the Secretary may modify the scope of practice restrictions under any licensing act administered by the Department for any person working under the direction of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Illinois Department of Public Health pursuant to the declared disaster. Those acting in an exempt status with a state-recognized agency during a disaster are considered working under the direction of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency and the Department of Public Health.
House Bill 0875 was signed into law by Gov. Blagojevich on August 2, 2005. It is now known as Public Act 94-409 and includes the definition of a Dental Emergency Responder, which establishes and details the position within the scope and practice of dentistry in Illinois, who responds to a declared local, city, county and state emergencies. The law will take effect January 1, 2006.
To read more about the implications of the modifications to the Illinois Dental Practice Act and the role of the dental community in disaster response, visit the Journal of the American Dental Association to view The Dental Emergency Responder: Expanding the Scope of Dental Practice (JADA login required).
View the American Dental Association and American Dental Education Association Report on Incorporating Bioterrorism Training into Dental Education for more information on how dental professionals could assist in the event of a mass casualty incident and proposals for how education could be implemented into dental programs.
View the informational brochure published by the UIC DEMRT Center on the Dental Emergency Responder and the oral health professionals' role in disaster preparedness
View the informational brochure published by the UIC DEMRT Center outlining its goals and the NDLS curricula. Click here.
Disaster Emergency Medicine Readiness Training (DEMRT) Center
Director, Michael Colvard, DDS, MTS, MS, M O Med RCSEd
Associate Professor and Periodontal Surgeon, Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry
Co-Director, Melissa Naiman, MS, EMT-B
Clinical Training Coordinator, Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences, College of Dentistry
The Disaster Emergency Medicine Readiness Training (DEMRT) Center is a unique resource in Illinois, one which the UIC College of Dentistry is pleased to house and sponsor. Oral health professionals play a critical role in meeting the emergency preparedness needs of communities, and the DEMRT Center assists them and other medical and health professionals in assuming leadership positions by assuring they can acquire state-of-the-art training to expand their emergency response skill sets.
The UIC DEMRT Center is an Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH), Illinois Emergency Medical Response Team (IMERT), and American Medical Association (AMA) recognized National Disaster Life Support (NDLS) disaster response training and research center. The DEMRT Center prepares health care professionals to serve on the local, county, and state “All Hazard” and “Weapons of Mass Destruction” (WMD) Response Teams. The DEMRT Center trains providers within the State of Illinois, the surrounding Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Region V, and nation using AMA NDLS protocols, a standardized Emergency Medical Services (EMS) disaster preparedness training curriculum for health care providers who serve on EMS, WMD, and TEMS disaster response teams with a focus on the role of the dentist in bioterrorism. Training available through the UIC DEMRT Center includes vaccination and inoculation skills training, AMA NDLS credentialed CDLS™, BDLS™, ADLS™, and DECON training, and recognized Illinois EMS and incident command protocols. Training is open to all providers: MD, DO, DDS, RN, PA, RT, RDH, EMT, and First Responders.
The Disaster Emergency Medicine Readiness Training Center operates through funding from IDPH, HRSA, and the CDC.
For further information, please contact Melissa at info@demrt.org or call 312-413-9811.
