Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Fall 2021 - 20

Component Reports
Washington
Current Washington State Society
of Orthodontists (WSSO) membership
stands at 380 members, with
245 active, 118 retired, and 17 life
members.
WSSO members are currently faced with the potential
of losing a portion of their staff due to the
recent Washington State mandate that requires
mandatory COVID-19 vaccinations for health care
providers and workers by October 18. Although
the mandate does not allow the option of regular
COVID-19 testing in lieu of being vaccinated,
requests to have a " test out " option are ongoing.
Currently, health care employers can only allow
workers to opt out of vaccination for disability/
medical or religious reasons, but not for philosophical
reasons.
The WSSO board, through the primary effort and
leadership of 2020-2021 president Geoff Greenlee,
updated and clarified our bylaws to be more
consistent with the PCSO and made some adjustments
to our organizational structure. We appreciate
the guidance of the outstanding members
of the PCSO Component Relations Committee.
The revised bylaws were reviewed and approved
by our general membership in our WSSO virtual
membership meeting in June.
In early 2021, the State of Washington updated
and implemented several rules affecting
infection control. The amended rules made the
Washington infection control requirements
more aligned with the Centers for Disease Control
dental office recommendations. The WSSO
encourages all members practicing in Washington
to familiarize themselves with the new
rules. Ms. Andrea Cook provided an excellent
overview on these changes and how they affect
orthodontic practice during our virtual summer
meeting.
The WSSO board continues to closely monitor and
interact with the Washington State Legislature
and any legislation that may affect orthodontic
practice and is currently evaluating and preparing
for legislation surrounding teledentistry.
We plan to resume our annual in-person membership
meetings on Friday, January 21, 2022.
Members should look forward to an outstanding
meeting that will include doctor lectures by Dr.
Neal Kravitz and other outstanding staff lectures.
You will not want to miss this meeting! Aside
from great lectures that will provide ideas for immediate
implementation, this will be a welcomed
opportunity to reconnect with professional
colleagues and friends from all over the state and
beyond.
The WSSO board members and officers elected
for 2021-2022 are:
▫ President: Michael Pickard
▫ President-Elect: Amrit Burn
▫ Secretary: Sepi Torkan
▫ Treasurer: Wei Tian
▫ Members at Large: Corwyn Hopke, Bhoomika
Ahuja, Jason Bourne
▫ Standing Committee Chairs:
 Communications: Nadia Farjo
 Orthodontic Practice & Legislative: Keyvan
Sohrabi
 Peer Review: Rod Dubois
▫ PCSO Director: Barbara Sheller
Dr. Michael Pickard
President, Pullman, WA
Dr. Nadia Farjo
Communications Chair, Walla Walla, WA
20
PCSO Bulletin
Fall 2021
Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Fall 2021

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pacific Coast Society of Orthodontists Bulletin Fall 2021
