SSOMS

Gayle Davies

Finally, We Gather Again

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When SSOMS Past President Lee Allen and I went to Ireland to put the finishing touches on the 2019 annual meeting, we met and became friends with a kind and gentle Irishman by the name of Pat Crowley. Since that time Pat has sent me several emails with warm and thoughtful gifts from his huge heart. Attached is one of those gifts, a poem written and narrated by Kevin McCormack against a backdrop of beautiful photos of the breathtaking Irish countryside. The poem addresses the challenges of the past year hammered by Covid and what we need to do going forward to regain our joy.

I hope it will inspire you and it did me. Remember, “the past is heavy, put it down”.

Hope to see you at Amelia Island. It has been too long.

Hank Holderfield, Executive Director

SSOMS 2021 Azamara 11-NIGHT WINE & CULTURE VOYAGE

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Azamara Quest
Sailing: June 13, 2021

Download Registration Form

We sail from Lisbon, stopping first in Porto, a European capital of culture where you can stroll the Ribeira neighborhood. After a relaxing day at sea we come to Bilbao, in the heart of Basque Country for a day of sightseeing highlighted by the Guggenheim Museum or choose the complimentary Virtuoso 8-hour food, wine and sightseeing experience. Next, we will enjoy two days in Bordeaux, the most famous wine region in the world where we’ll learn about wine production in this handsome and cohesive city filled with monumental buildings and fine estates.

Our final port of call is Guernsey, a self-governing possession of the British Crown located off the coast of Normandy, which is ideal for rambles along cliffside paths and through the bucolic interior. Here you will experience the best of England and France.

For golf lovers, this cruise if heaven. Azamara is offering an optional golf program that is fully managed by PerryGolf™ staff onboard and ashore with three special rounds of golf being offered. Your clubs will be ready and waiting at each venue. Tee times and pairings are arranged and posted in advance. A snack lunch is included at the course along with an open bar at the conclusion of each round. View Golf Package Details.

ITINERARY

AZAMARA STATEROOMS & PRICING

  • Oceanview staterooms begin at $4,435 per person*
  • Balcony staterooms begin at $5,265 per person*
  • Veranda Plus staterooms begin at $5,565 per person*
For a full cruise itinerary listing click here.
View deck plan
Stateroom diagram

*Other categories available, call for pricing. If booked by July 31, Azamara is having a BOGOHO (Buy one get one half off) promotion where the second person in the stateroom only pays half the listed price. Above prices are subject to change after September 1. There will also be shipboard credit as well as other special events. More information will be available at a later date.

CONTACT:
Linda Kinsey – Custom Travel & Cruise
770-949-1133
770-855-8244 cell or text
linda@customtravel-cruise.com

COVID-19 Resources for OMS Practices

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Please see summaries and links that have been recently added to the AAOMS COVID-19 Resources. See also links to the infections control webinar and Telehealth page.

Order Washable Medical Gowns

Pro Med Sales has secured a supply of washable medical gowns for our OMS members and are ready to take your orders.

Please call Pro Med Sales at 678-714-5341 or download and fill out the order form and return. For more information about the medical gowns, click here for a spec sheet.

Thank you to Pro Med Sales and ImageFirst for making this happen.

The Health Care Group – publisher of some AAOMS practice management publications – has teamed up with Health Care Law Associates to develop a summary of significant COVID-19 legal developments related to OMS practices. COVID-19 Resource for OMS Practice Owners, Associates and Managers (pdf) is being offered at no cost to AAOMS members. The guide covers mandated paid time off, paycheck protection program under the CARES Act, benefit plans relief and the CMS accelerated and advance payments program.

The SBA Webinars are now available:

The Infection Control Webinar also remains active:

Updated Telehealth Resources At-a-Glance

  • With the COVID-19 outbreak, CMS and states are working to eliminate barriers to telehealth use – including telephone or “virtual” evaluations and/or treatment advice – to help patients access care remotely and reduce the strain on hospitals and clinics. AAOMS has assembled a new webpage – Telehealth Resources – with details and links that will be updated when new information becomes available. In addition, AAOMS published AAOMS White Paper: Telehealth and Remote Treatment in January (pdf).

Letter from Robert C. Pfeffle, DMD President, SSOMS

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Dear SSOMS members:

I hope you are all faring well with the personal and professional adjustments we are all going through due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It is already having a profound impact on our lives. Hopefully, we will see some resolution of this terrible problem in the near future.

The Board of the SSOMS met via conference call on Monday, March 15 to discuss the 2020 annual meeting scheduled for April 22-26 in Key West. In light of the growing pandemic, it is obviously not possible for us to proceed with this meeting as planned. Hank has been working diligently on our behalf and was able to provide a good option for us to consider related to the meeting.

The Key West meeting will remain at the Casa Marina resort but will be moved to August 19-23, 2020. Fortunately, the entire schedule for the meeting in April will be seamlessly transferred to the new dates in August. Also, our speakers, Drs. Eric Carlson and David Powers are available as well.

While this date was necessary due to other scheduling conflicts, there are actually a number of benefits to having the meeting at this time:

  • This will be coming out of the busy season, so hotel rates and airfare will be lower (airlines are allowing current tickets impacted by the pandemic to be changed without any fees).
  • The weather in August is more predictable and generally calmer allowing fishing, watersports, and other tours to be scheduled more easily.
  • The crowds in Key West will be smaller, allowing more flexibility with dinner reservations and sightseeing
  • And those wonderful breezes for which Key West is famous will mitigate the slightly higher temperatures!

Hank will be sending you the details regarding procedures for transferring registrations to the August dates in a separate email shortly. Please respond promptly as we have some important deadlines to meet to protect our position in this matter.

Hopefully by August, the current crisis will be resolving, we will be winding up a busy summer, and we all will be ready for some relief in the Conch Republic!

Sincerely

Robert C. Pfeffle, DMD
President

IMPORTANT: Procedures for Moving SSOMS Annual Meeting Registrations to August

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We are moving our annual meeting to August 19-23, 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. This will be a seamless transition in that all hotel registrations will be moved to the new dates and will retain the same confirmation numbers. Also, all conference registrations will be moved without change as the meeting and tour schedule will remain the same. You only need to change your airline reservation; it is our understanding that change fees will be waived on all airlines.

We promise to retain the outstanding quality, our tradition unlike any other and the unparalleled charm of our annual meeting over the new dates. While the average temperature will be slightly higher (81 in April vs 89 in August) the afternoon storms will abate providing for better weather for fishing and touring. And don’t forget the famous Key West breezes. Plus, the room rates dropped from $389 to $279 for the basic room, from $439 to $$329 for the Ocean View, no Balcony and from $499 to $369 for the Ocean View with Balcony rooms, representing a saving of almost $450 for most reservations.

If you are concerned about travel restrictions continuing into August, we have updated the Force Majeure (impossibility) section of our contract to include the following language:

Neither party shall be responsible for failure to perform this Agreement if unanticipated circumstances beyond their control including, but not limited to: acts of God; government regulation, including, but not limited to, government regulations prohibiting travel to the city in which the Hotel is located over the Event dates and/or the issuance of a “Level 3 Travel Warning” by the Centers for Disease Control that specifically advises travelers to avoid all non-essential travel to the city in which the Hotel is located and which travel advisory is in effect over the Event dates; terrorist attacks in the city in which Hotel is located; or declared war in the United States make it illegal or impossible for Hotel to hold the Event. The affected party may terminate this Agreement without liability upon providing written notice to the other party within ten (10) days of the occurrence.

Therefore, all hotel reservations will be cancelled and conference registration fees refunded if we cannot travel safely.

However, if you prefer to cancel your reservation for whatever reason, please notify Melissa Connor at mconnor@pami.org or by phone (770.271.0453) by April 15. After that date, our revised block is set and we will have less flexibility to avoid losses. Please do not cancel your reservation directly with the hotel.

If you did not register for the April meeting and now want to register for the meeting in August, please go to https://www.123signup.com/register?id=rdhjt.

Stay well…….and see you in Key West!

Hank Holderfield
Executive Director