Once again, we need your help in our efforts to make Washington Dental Service (WDS, Delta) operations more patient-focused, more respectful of the doctor-patient relationship, and more transparent and responsive to its members. 

Visit wsda.org/delta to view a petition that a number of your fellow Delta member dentists have worked with legal counsel to develop and plan to submit to the WDS Board of Directors. The petition states that we, as Delta members:

• Have lost confidence in the leadership of current CEO Jim Dwyer;
• Request the Board of Directors remove him from that position effective immediately;
• Request that the Board’s search for a successor should focus on individuals possessing expertise in operating a not-for-profit healthcare organization committed to core values of patient care, responsive governance and transparency.

This action will help restore confidence and support among Delta member dentists.

We ask all Delta member dentists to join us by signing and returning the petition by March 15. Adding your name to this call for change is easy—simply sign the petition and return by email to petition@wsda.org or by fax to (206) 443-9266.

VIEW THE PETITION
Just as so many of you joined us in attending or sending your proxies to the special member meetings last September, we must again send a clear and strong signal to the WDS Board of Directors that changes must be made.

We have been informed that there have been discussions with stakeholders that Mr. Dwyer intends to retire approximately one year from now. In light of these discussions, we recognize that this petition may seem like an exceptional action to take, but we feel it is important to send a clear signal that a “business as usual” transition is not acceptable to WDS members and not in the best interest of the organization going forward.

Instead, we see this as a critically important moment for the future of oral health in our state, and a crucial inflection point for the relationship between Washington’s dental community and our largest carrier of dental insurance coverage. Under Mr. Dwyer’s tenure, Washington Dental Service, which should be a key partner with our profession in driving better patient outcomes, has instead become a barrier and antagonist to the dental profession.

Despite the extraordinary message sent by our special meetings and a 91% vote in favor of bylaws amendments at Delta, the Board not only vetoed most of our proposed changes, but also took the additional step of cancelling the annual membership meeting. We believe that substantive and positive change cannot occur until Mr. Dwyer is replaced with a new executive that genuinely treats members as partners and patients as customers.

We cannot overstate the importance of these efforts to improve the patient and provider focus at WDS—for our patients and for our profession. We need your help, right now. Please return your signed petition by March 15 to petition@wsda.org or by fax to (206) 443-9266.

Thank you in advance for your support in this critical effort!

Sincerely,

Dr. Cynthia R. Pauley
Dr. Christopher Delecki
Dr. Bernard J. Larson
Dr. Nathan G. Russell
Dr. Marissa N. Bender
Dr. Dennis L. Bradshaw
Dr. Chris Dorow
Dr. Linda J. Edgar
Dr. John Gibbons
Dr. Todd R. Irwin
Dr. Christine L. Kirchner
Dr. Eric J. Kvinsland
Dr. Blake McKinley
Dr. Randall H. Ogata
Dr. Ashley L. Ulmer