I took three trips during the summer. The personal vacation was a week in the Berkshires in southwestern Massachusetts. Nashville and Las Vegas were the other two destinations-the host cities for the ADHA's annual session and RDH Under One Roof (UOR), respectively. The latter was hosted at Caesars Palace. The Roman statues at the historic hotel/casino were never landmarks for me. It was always, "I'll meet you by such-and-such restaurant" instead of "Three o'clock. Michelangelo's 'David.' Don't be late." The statue of the goddesses in Caesars' lobby, however, more than likely served as a meeting point for more than a few attendees of ADHA and RDH Under One Roof (UOR) conferences at Caesars Palace in recent years.
Dental hygienists visiting Caesars Palace in Las Vegas in 2016 will be doing so at their own discretion rather than as a collective body. That's OK with me. It will be nice to explore new places as part of the dental hygiene summer gatherings. Pittsburgh will host the ADHA. UOR will be just outside of the District of Columbia at the National Harbor.
I think the main thing that impresses me about dental hygiene's summertime fun is the lingering impact. At UOR, post-meeting surveys revealed that 95% of attendees said they learned things at the conference that will help them in their career; in addition, 93% of attendees brought back products that they might incorporate into their practice. Even though home care products were among the 122 exhibitors at UOR, I don't think we're talking about toothpaste and toothbrushes bypassing the medicine cabinet at the house and ending up at the office. Exhibitors remain absolutely thrilled to interact directly with dental hygienists about a variety of products in the dental office setting.
This issue of RDH kind of puts a wrap on what the 1,200 dental hygienists at Caesars Palace experienced in July. A photo gallery on pages 26-33 offers a glimpse of what happened at UOR. But, as the article mentions, visit RDHUnderOneRoof.com to view more photos and videos.
We are, of course, proud to present the four recipients of the Sunstar/RDH Award of Distinction. Jackie Sanders' article starting on page 18 offers detailed profiles of Amy Kinnamon, Sarah Kowalski, Lory Laughter, and Michelle Marusiak. The ceremony for the award was hosted during UOR.
And that's a wrap for the summer of 2015. It's time to add July 28-30, 2016, to the calendar. As previously mentioned, UOR shifts to Maryland on those dates.
I am now looking forward to the Gaylord National Resort & Convention Center in Maryland. Go ahead. Look it up on the map. The National Harbor is 20 minutes away from Reagan airport. In order to arrive at the hotel from the airport, you have to pass through Alexandria, but not the Beltway or the congested tourist areas around the museums or federal monuments.
The National Harbor features more than 30 restaurants and 150 retail outlets all within an area of a little more than a mile. The tourist highlight is an observation wheel of 42 gondolas that takes passengers 180 feet up into the air to view sights such as the White House, the National Mall, Arlington Cemetery, and the parklands on both sides of the Potomac River.
The Gaylord is part of the Marriott chain. The signature design of the hotel features a 19-story glass atrium that overlooks the Potomac. The river itself is entertaining in that it is easy to catch a water taxi to explore Old Town Alexandria.
The summer of 2016 promises to be more exciting for traveling bands of dental hygienists. Again, visit RDHUnderOneRoof.com for more details about UOR.
Mark Hartley
