In 1986, the Wisconsin Dental Association, through the financial support of the Wisconsin Dental Foundation, formed the Dentists Concerned for Dentists Committee (DCD) to help those who have problems with alcohol or chemical dependency, depression, infectious diseases, or other well-being issues. 

The National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism has estimated that at least ten percent of the population of the United States is addicted to alcohol or other mood altering drugs. The American Medical Association has classified addiction as a disease for more than thirty years. Chemical dependency endangers health, upsets social and family relationships and affects job performance.

The Wisconsin Dental Association (WDA) is committed to assisting chemically dependent members of the dental profession through education and referral to approved programs of addiction therapy. The WDA’s Dentists Concerned for Dentists Committee was established to serve this need through compassionate assistance to Wisconsin dental professionals whose personal and professional lives are jeopardized from the abuse of alcohol or other drugs.

The WDA will investigate cases of alleged impaired dental professionals with the goal of helping them obtain the necessary treatment. The WDA shall maintain strict confidentiality throughout the process. The confidentiality shall be extended to the name of the allegedly impaired dental professional as well as those people providing information about the case.

The WDA reserves the right, as concerned citizens and professionals, to forward to the Department of Regulation & Licensing the names of alleged impaired licensed dental professionals who refuse or do not reasonably pursue appropriate assistance and whose actions in the judgment of the Dentists Concerned for Dentists Committee may constitute a violation of the Wisconsin Dental Practice Act.

The Dentists Concerned for Dentists Committee has worked under the philosophy that it is most beneficial for the affected dental professionals to be helped by peers; people in the same profession who know and deal with the stresses involved in a dental practice.

Supporting DCD

It is the belief of the DCD Committee that through compassionate peer to peer assistance we can help those in need of our services get the care they need without involving regulatory or government agencies and without putting the public at risk. We do not claim to be nor do we desire to be the treatment providers for those facing these types of problems. Our goal is to lead the individual to seek the professional treatment they need from those that are trained to do so. The DCD Committee is there to help them every step of the way. Through all the stages beginning with the intervention planning with family, friends and staff, to the intervention, to support while in treatment and continued support through outpatient treatment and beyond, the DCD Committee is there to listen, encourage and even help cover patients to keep the practice running. Many of the members of the DCD Committee have been there themselves or have helped others go through it so they know what it is like from first hand experience.

While we have been very fortunate in our success rate of helping others get the treatment they need, we haven’t always been successful. There have been times that had we been able to provide some temporary funds to the dentist in need we would have been able to get them in for the treatment they needed. You see, the treatment facilities require money up front before they will take a person in for their initial evaluation or for treatment. The initial evaluation is currently around $3,900 for a three or four day in patient stay. As you can probably imagine, often times when a person has a problem with chemical dependency or alcohol abuse there are related financial problems. When this happens they use this as an excuse to put off getting the treatment they so desperately need. We want to minimize that excuse and make it possible for them to get help immediately instead of letting the disease continue to grow. While financial assistance is available through the ADA and WDA Relief Funds, the loan application process takes several months, wasted months that the individual could have been getting started on their road to recovery. That’s why we feel it is important that we have the Benevolent Assistance Fund.

When the DCD Committee becomes involved in a well-being matter, they do significant research, so much so that they know if the cost of treatment would be a legitimate excuse for the person to give for not going in for an evaluation when confronted during the intervention. By having funds available through the Benevolent Assistance Fund the Committee members are able to make that a non-issue. The Committee would utilize the Fund only when proven necessary. The Benevolent Assistance Fund does not pay for any other DCD activity. All Committee expenses are covered through a grant from the Wisconsin Dental Foundation.

Funds disbursed from the Benevolent Assistance Fund are sent directly to the treatment facility, they are not given to any recipient directly. It is explained to the recipient that although this is not a formal loan we would hope that when they are well on their way to recovery and have reestablished their practice that they would repay the money to the Fund so that it would be available for someone else that needed it. Our goal is to build the fund to the point that we may be able to cover the cost of a full treatment and have the fund remain self supporting. Through the generosity of the Wisconsin Dental Foundation, the Benevolent Assistance Fund has been established with enough funds to cover the cost of two evaluations. Now we are turning to others in the dental community for contributions to help us meet our goal of being able to fund a full treatment and remain self supporting.

By helping to support the Benevolent Assistance Fund you are not only helping your peers and colleagues get the treatment they need but you are also helping the public keep their faith in the dental profession. Contributions for this fund may be made to the Wisconsin Dental Foundation with a designation for the Benevolent Assistance Fund. Contributions to the Foundation are considered to be charitable in nature.

Testimonials

• I am a functional alcoholic
• My name is Tom

For more information

For more information, please call the WDA at 800-364-7646.