The HHS Department has appointed five agency leaders to help advance the “Make America Healthy Again” initiative.
Here are the new leaders:
1. Brian Christine, MD: Assistant secretary for health
2. Alex Adams, PharmD: Assistant secretary for family support, Administration for Children and Families
3. Gustav Chiarello: Assistant secretary for financial resources
4. Michael Stuart: General counsel
5. Alicia Jackson, PhD: Director of advanced research projects agency for health
Four of the five appointees have already secured Senate confirmation, according to a Nov. 24 news release.
Here are four oral health notes to know:
1. The MAHA plan could create opportunities and potential challenges for the dental profession and oral health, according to an article published earlier this year in the Journal of the American Dental Association.
2. Barry Lyon, DDS, dental director for Main Street Children’s Dentistry and Orthodontics and chief clinical auditor for Dental Care Alliance, discussed with Becker’s how the initiative could affect DSOs. His predictions include increased healthcare costs and patient volume due to the elimination of fluoride, as well as increased examination of DSOs due to shifting regulations against private equity companies.
3. The HHS Department said in its September report that it will continue with its plans to look into the effects of fluoride exposure on children’s health.
4. HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. celebrated legislation banning water fluoridation during his Make America Healthy Again tour earlier this year.
