Content Dam Rdh Print Articles Volume37 Issue7 1707rdhhh P01

Heart to Hands Award

July 1, 2017
Engaging videos from three dental hygienists displaying "their passionate hearts" and "loving hands," prompted their selection as the initial recipients of the Heart to Hands award, which was celebrated during a special reception in June at the 2017 American Dental Hygienists' Association's CLL annual meeting in Jacksonville, Fla.

Engaging videos from three dental hygienists displaying “their passionate hearts” and “loving hands,” prompted their selection as the initial recipients of the Heart to Hands award, which was celebrated during a special reception in June at the 2017 American Dental Hygienists’ Association’s CLL (Center for Lifelong Learning) annual meeting in Jacksonville, Fla.

The Heart to Hands award encouraged dental hygienists from the United States and Canada to submit short videos that share a story about their careers. The award is sponsored by Philips Oral Healthcare and PennWell Corp.

“The Heart to Hands award is a 21st century, digital approach to acknowledge dental hygiene mentors, clinicians, colleagues, and educators for their dedication to our profession,” said Gail B. Stoops, senior manager of professional relations for Philips in the US and Canada. “From their passionate hearts to their loving hands, dental hygienists bring enriched oral and overall health, community service, and advocacy, as well as new generations of highly accomplished, caring dental professionals into our world. It is an honor for Philips to celebrate the stories of those dental hygienists who contribute so strongly to making a positive difference in other people’s lives!”

The three 2017 recipients of the Heart to Hands award are:

  • Mary Jensen RDH, MS, of Winfield, IL
  • Jaci Klepadlo, RDH, of Mays Landing, New Jersey
  • Amanda Madronic of Stittsville, Ontario, Canada.

Jensen, who practices in the western Chicago suburbs, shared a brief summary of her long career in her video. She currently treats elderly patients, and she has been a member of the HyLife Oral Health Alliance for the past two years, providing care at eight local assisted living or memory care communities.

“I have an aunt with Alzheimer’s. She is 94 years young, and in perfect health, except for dementia. She has lived in assisted living/memory care for almost seven years,” Jensen said. “I am very comfortable in this world. When I learned about HyLife at a local ADHA component meeting, I was thrilled there was a way I could provide the much-needed oral hygiene care to dependent seniors as an independent service. There is a huge need for oral care in these communities.”

Klepadlo, who is employed in a dental practice west of Atlantic City, owns a staffing business called Elite Dental Coverage. Her video described the teamwork involved with the treatment of a patient.

Klepadlo said, “What I enjoy about interacting with patients is building a bond that takes a nervous patient who hasn’t been to the dental office in 20 years to a regular patient who is actually excited to come to the dentist multiple times a year and greet you with a smile and a story. I love that no two patients are the same, so we have to always challenge ourselves to customize their treatment and home care.”

Madronic is a 36-year-old dental hygiene student at Algonquin College in Canada. After graduation this year, she will be posted in British Columbia to begin employment as a dental hygienist in the Canadian Armed Forces. Her video for the Heart to Hands award focused on a community outreach effort in the Ottawa area called Heart of the Matter. The service initiative was conducted by her dental hygiene school, and she was moved by the effort to increase access to care in her community.

Madronic said, “A group of myself and four other students expanded on their research by performing secondary and primary research required for our oral health outreach class. The five of us decided to implement this campaign even though it was not a requirement of our class. After our research, we felt we needed to help break down the barriers to the access of oral care and make Heart of the Matter a reality. The plan is to continue Heart of the Matter annually.”

The three winning videos were presented at the Heart to Hands reception on June 16th and can be viewed online at RDHmag.com. RDH