Hello, my name is Dr. Jennifer Shaheen-McNiel.  I am a general dentist and my practice is located in East Lansing, Michigan.  I am married to my high school sweetheart, Steve McNiel and together we have two girls, Charlotte (seven years old) and Evelyn (five years old).

I am here today to ask for your help.  I am asking you to sign this petition to support the movement of Michigan dentists returning to work safely.  Like many of you, we have been forced to shut down our offices due to COVID—19.  Again, like many of you this has impacted us on so many levels:  mentally, physically, financially, but mostly it has impacted our ability to employ our staff (who are like our family) and provide top notch dental treatment and preventive care to our patients.  

We have been deemed:  NON-ESSENTIAL and with all do respect, that is where Governor Whitmer is wrong.  We are essential, without preventive care millions of Michiganders are at risk for not only acute infection but chronic infection.  A patient with a chronic dental infection can have absolutely no symptoms, while it is negatively impacting a patient’s overall health and sometimes can lead to hospitalization.  Undetected chronic infection in the oral cavity can negatively impact cardio thoracic patients, diabetic patients, immunocompromised patients, and the list goes on.  This is why returning to work and performing PREVENTIVE care (NOT JUST EMERGENCY CARE) is so important.

Before we can return to work safely, we must be able to purchase PPEs or personal protective equipment at a reasonable price.  At the beginning of the the declared state of emergency due to the COVID-19 pandemic, dentists were asked to donate their PPEs to the hospitals to help aid the doctors and nurses in our fight against the coronavirus.  Now many of us are left without the the necessary equipment needed to keep our staff and patients safe.  Most of us have been banned from purchasing the necessary PPEs to return to work to treat our patients.

We have done our part to help flatten the curve.  We have shut down our businesses and stayed home.  We have donated our supplies.  We have been making improvements and are educating ourselves to keep our staff and patients safe.  We can do this Michigan!!!

With that being said, please take the time to sign this petition.  We need your help and we need it now!!!  If you value your HEALTH, take the time to contact your local senators and representatives.  Take the time to share this with everyone you know.  

Allow your dental professionals to get back to work with the appropriate PPEs, so that WE CAN CONTINUE TO SERVE YOU, OUR PATIENTS.

Thank you for your time.  

JM