And so it begins!
Senator Marcus Riccelli held a special Dental Workforce meeting at Delta Dental of Washington and the Arcora Foundation’s office in South Lake Union 7/23/2026. This meeting was not just about solutions; we were tasked with sharing the barriers that our profession is facing: student loan debt, lack of funding for education, faculty support, training, diversity, and autonomy, and of course the need for more dental professionals at all levels of care. Gathered were representatives from public and private sectors including tribal health, education, and community clinics, as well as state legislators Senator Annette Cleveland, Rep. Monica Stonier, and Rep. Andrew Engell.
We were encouraged to see various representatives of the dental profession including the Washington State Dental Assistants Association’s President Christine Becker, who was invited at the request of WDHA’s Reg & Practice committee. Thank you, Devin, for facilitating their participation! I’ve been working with one of their committee members for over 10 years and have built strong relationships with their leaders. They fully support WDHA’s intention to advocate for increased autonomy and Full Practice Authority, which would allow hygienists to diagnose, treat, and prescribe medications within their scope without needing a dentist present.
Photos taken from the meeting by our WDHA President Santiago Valdez
The Washington Dental Hygienists’ Association was well represented by our lobbyist, Mr. Devin Gombosky, and Regulation & Practice member, Dr.Tammy Sanderson, and myself, as President of WDHA. Devin and Tammy provided powerful testimony highlighting the barriers dental hygienists face due to limited autonomy and outdated regulations—restrictions that hinder our ability to fully serve the needs of our patients and communities.
Senator Riccelli tasked each organization that attended to gather ideas and provide a draft overview of our proposal this next month. They will then review all the suggestions and consolidate them into a draft for us to discuss at our next meeting in September.
Photo #1: Dr. Dawn Lewis-Kinnunen of EWU and our Reg & Practice Committee Member Dr. Tammy Sanderson voices resonated for our profession! | Photo #2 WADAA Leaders | Photo #3 WDHA and WADAA standing together to collaborate our best future
Our Regulation & Practice Committee met 7/26/2026 to review our discussions with American Dental Hygienists’ Association President Jessica August, who is now the Director of the Yakima Valley College Hygiene program.
Looking forward to the continued discussion and collaborative efforts of all the professionals in the room and the communities they represent.
WDHA Proud
Santiago Valdez
WDHA President
Disclaimer:
This short article was created by Santiago Valdez, RDH and originally posted to our Facebook Group. This article was edited by Heidi Peters, RDH, Sydney LaCroix and Katie Cook. For questions about content, requests related to permissions and more, please reach out to info@wsdha.org. Thank you.