December 1, 2022 C.O.D.N.

Happy Holidays

CONTENTS OF NEWSLETTER:

• Upcoming Central Oregon Meetings & Events
• Central Oregon Dental News
• Volunteer Opportunities
• Classified Ads
• Regional CE Calendar
• More Info.
• Editorials / Commentary
• Dear Dr. Rupert

UPCOMING  CENTRAL  OREGON  MEETINGS  &   EVENTS

(Please email or send any dental related events or courses that you would like posted on this calendar.)

December 6, 2022 (Tues.) “The Oregon Board of Dentistry: What You Should Know About Dental Assisting Rules in Oregon”

• 6:30 – 8:30 pm
• Zoom Meeting (need to register to receive meeting link)
• To Register: Please send your email address to ginjorge53@gmail.com prior to the meeting and Ginny will send you the link to attend.
• Cost: Free
• This course will present updated information on the Dental Practice Act:
  • Division 42
  • Dental Assisting Rules & Regulations
  • EFDA Pathways
  • Additional Dental Assistant Certificates
• Instructor: Ginny Jorgensen
  • Ginny is an active member of the Oregon Dental Assistants Association; Vice President and Education Chairmen
  • Currently Ginny is the lead instructor for the PCC Non-credit, Integrated Community Dental Assisting Program; Online didactic education and Saturday Lab sessions.
  • Ginny also provides education and training in Infection Prevention & Control for dental professionals.
  • You can contact Ginny at ginjorge53@gmail.com or 503-705-1116

December 9, 2022 (Fri.) Central Oregon Dental Society Holiday Party + Casino Night

• 6:00 p.m.
• Riverhouse Convention Center (Bend, Oregon)
• Camaraderie with your colleagues + Food + Drinks + Casino Games
• Contact Dr. Jessica Henderson to RSVP if you haven’t received or registered evite (drjessicahenderson@gmail.com)

Feburary 9, 2023 Dental Day at the Capital

Join your ODA colleagues on Thursday, February 9th for a day of advocacy at the state capitol in Salem. You’ll have the opportunity to educate legislators and their staff on critical issues impacting dentistry, tour the capitol, and network with colleagues. No previous training or experience is required, ODA will provide you with the tools you need to advocate for dentistry! Register here: https://bit.ly/2023dentalday

April 13-15, 2023 Oregon Dental Conference

The 2023 Oregon Dental Conference will be 100% in-person! Join the ODA at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland, OR April 13-15, 2023 for exceptional CE courses, the chance to shop the exhibit hall, and to catch up with your fellow dental professionals! Please check our Oregon Dental Conference website regularly for new developments and updates. http://www.oregondentalconference.org

CENTRAL  OREGON  DENTAL NEWS

Steps for Radiation Health & Safety (RHS) Certificate for On-The-Job Trained Dental Assistants

Lynn Murray, the COCC Dental Assisting Program Director has been kind enough to offer the following summary and update for Dentists who might be doing some on-the-job training with their Dental Assistants.

Steps to RHS Certification for On the Job Trained DAs

Oregon Clinical Radiologic Proficiency Certificate – Pathway I

To earn the RHS in Oregon the student must:

1) Pass the written RHS Exam through DANB,

2) Show verification from a dentist that they are proficient in taking radiographs.

Here are the steps to be done to obtain the Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) Certificate in Oregon:

1. Complete a course approved by the Oregon Board of Dentistry (OBD).

Purchase the DALE Foundation’s DANB RHS Review course found here: https://www.dalefoundation.org/Courses-And-Study-Aids/Product-Catalog-Search/DANB-RHS-Review  and obtain proof of completing the course, and

2. Apply for the written Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam through DANB. The application packet can be found here under Oregon Clinical Radiologic Proficiency Certificate: Pathway I (PDF) here: https://www.danb.org/en/Meet-State-Requirements/State-Exam-Applications.aspx

3.  Take and Pass that written national DANB Radiation Health and Safety (RHS) exam (mentioned above),

(Study before the RHS). Here is a link to how to prepare for the exam: https://www.danb.org/Become-Certified/Prepare-for-DANB-Exams.aspx), and

4. After passing the RHS, have an Oregon licensed dentist complete the verification form (included in the packet linked below) that attests that the assistant is proficient in taking radiographs.

5. Apply to DANB with documentation of the above, for a state certificate of radiologic proficiency by completing this application below and sending it in to DANB.

Oregon Radiologic Proficiency Packet: https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/state-application-packets/orcr1.pdf?sfvrsn=96179f41_6

DANB said there will be no exam questions about film or film processing on the DANB RHS Exam beginning in 2023. Here is the outline for the exam below.

RHS Exam

Weighting by Domain
I. Purpose and Technique (50%)
II. Radiation Safety (25%)
III. Infection Prevention and Control (25%)

For a detailed outline of what is on the RHS DANB Exam go to this link:

https://danbsfprodassets.azureedge.net/assets/docs/default-source/exam-outlines/rhs-exam-outline.pdf?sfvrsn=1749ebf2_10

We hope this is helpful to our dental community!

Lynn Murray, COCC DA Program Director

Do You Have a Dental Assistant That Wants to Earn Their EFDA Certification?

The Oregon Dental Assistants Association (ODAA) supports all dental assistants without regard to the method in which they were educated. Graduates from Commission on Dental Accreditation (CODA) programs are awarded EFDA (Expanded Function Dental Assistant) Certification because they complete the skill sets within the program. However, assistants trained by other means earn the EFDA through an Dental Assisting National Board (DANB) examination and a check off sheet of skills.

The ODAA, in response to dental assistants who stated that they found it difficult to pass the DANB Oregon EFDA exam, has located content experts to create a course to help assistants prepare for this exam. The course will be presented as part of the Oregon Dental Conference in April.

This course entitled, Oregon DANB EFDA Exam Preparation will be held on Friday, April 14^th from 1:00-4:00 pm. The course will be presented by Ginny Jorgensen and Christina Becker who are both highly regarded dental assisting educators. It should prove to be a unique and excellent opportunity for your interested dental assistants!

Lynn Murray, M.Ed., CDA, EFDA, RFC, CPFDA, MADAA

Central Oregon Community College

Dental Assisting Program Director / Dental Clinic Manager

lmurray@cocc.edu or 541 383-7574

COCC Dental Assistant Program Response to Recent Article on the Dental Assistant Shortage

Addressing the Need for Dental Assistants

Oregon’s Dental Assisting programs appreciate and share your concerns about the shortage of dental assistants! We are working diligently on numerous fronts. We are making every effort to increase enrollment and therefore, supply Oregon dentists with much needed qualified, well educated, and EFDA certified dental assistants, and we can use your help. Programs are not near capacity. Currently Oregon Dental Assisting programs are on average only at 65% of capacity.

If all existing Dental Assisting programs were full, the hiring pool in Oregon would include over 237 dental assisting graduates each and every year. Therefore, if existing programs reached full capacity it would certainly be helpful in reducing some of the dental assistant employment issues.

Dental Assisting Program	Max Enrollment:	Started Fall 2022 with:
PCC* (FT program)	45	38
Clackamas CC	24	16
Chemeketa CC*	36	28
Lane CC*	30	15
Linn Benton CC*	24	17
Central Oregon CC*	24	17
Umpqua CC*	24	8 (This is a rebuilding year w/new faculty)
Rogue CC**	30	17
Southern Oregon CC	TBA	TBA

* = accredited 

** = working on becoming accredited 

DA programs are currently only at 65% capacity!!

What We Are Doing

Financial – Many students are eligible for grants and scholarships for their education. Quite a number even attend with no cost to the student.

Recruiters – Colleges across the state are opening new positions of Allied Health Recruiter, to increase enrollment in programs including Dental Assisting. These recruiters are:

• Coordinating with high school counselors
• Presenting programs to high school students
• Promoting programs at many conferences
• Participating in numerous outreach opportunities 

Dental Assisting Faculty – Dental Assisting faculty are also working to increase enrollment. Faculty are:

• Providing hands-on activities on campus’ to high school students
• Demonstrating dental assisting skills at Healthcare Fairs
• Providing dental assisting activities at Career Fairs
• Presenting at other college venues
• Providing tours of dental assisting laboratories to interested parties
• Counseling advisees to consider a career as a dental assistant
• Recruit students to place “Day in the Life of a Dental Assistant” on social media platforms

Colleges are actively promoting existing dental assisting programs with the goal of reducing the shortage of dental assistants in Oregon.

Some Ways Dentists & Community Members Can Help – People can help increase enrollment by promoting programs at your Community College. Here are just a few thoughts.

• Contact the Dental Assisting program at your Community College and request a flyer that you can post in your office
• Refer an interested patient to the Dental Assisting Program Director (COCC – Lynn Murray, lmurray@cocc.edu, 541 383-7574)
• Provide a scholarship to a promising person

Reducing Attrition of Dental Assistants and Dental Hygienists

Increasing the number of dental assistants is very important and is being addressed on many fronts by ADA, ODA, and Community Colleges. However, this will likely take some time. And while solutions to shortages are being addressed, to not exacerbate the shortages, retaining current employees is of paramount importance right now. There is research available as to best practices for dentists to retain currently employed dental professionals. 

The American Dental Association Health Policy Institute (HPI), in collaboration with the Dental Assisting National Board (DANB), the American Dental Hygienists‘ Association (ADHA), the American Dental Assistants Association, and igniteDA, has published new research on the dental workforce shortage.

The link to the full report is at the bottom of the page, but below is a summary of research outcomes:

Attrition Factors –
Dental assistants and dental hygienists who indicated low levels of job satisfaction were asked what contributed to their dissatisfaction.

The top three reasons (in order) among dental assistants were:

• Insufficient pay
• Feeling overworked
• Negative workplace culture

The top three factors contributing to dissatisfaction among dental hygienists were:

• Negative workplace culture
• Insufficient pay
• Feeling overworked

These factors held true regardless of employment status or practice type.

Full Report at: https://www.ada.org/resources/research/health-policy-institute/dental-practice-research/dental-workforce-shortages

COCC Dental Assistant Clinic Needs a Few More Volunteers

Thank you to those of you who signed up to staff a Dental Clinic! A sincere “thank you” to all who have offered their time and expertise to provide dental services to low-income community members, and practice for the new group of COCC dental assisting students. Your efforts are invaluable to students and patients alike!

Hello Amazing Dentists!

Please help us train dental assistants for Central Oregon. COCC is in real need of volunteer dentists to staff the Dental Clinic and provide fillings or extractions for low-income patients. We have several dates that need dentists.

The Clinic runs from 8:00 am to about 2:00 pm with a debriefing of students. This is such a valuable experience for the dental assisting students! It provides them with an opportunity to work with patients and assist dentists while in their Dental Clinic.

Please check your schedules and let me know if you would at all be available to help us out on one of these dates. We truly appreciate you all! Feel free to let me know if you would like to team up with a collegue for one of the dates. It is a nice time to connect too.

DATE	Dentist #1	Dentist #2	Hygienist
November 4	Dr. Paul Kim	Dr. Richard Fixott	Taylor Lee
November 18	Dr. Brandon Turley	Dr. Jay Gronemyer	Tiffany Foy
January 20	Dr. Paul Kim	Dr. Haider Aljewari	Lynn Paladijczuk
February 3			Sierra Schipper
February 17	Dr. Julie Lezotte		Nicole Hansack
March 3
March 10
April 7			Tiffany Foy
April 28	Dr. Tom Rheuben
May 5	Dr. Tom Rheuben	Dr. Mehdi Salari	Amber Kirkendall
May 19	Dr. Hallie McNaughton		Jen Lyman
June 2	Dr. Sam Holcroft	Dr. Amberena Fairlee	Amber Kirkendall

My contact information is Lynn Murray at 541-383-7574, or you can e-mail me at lmurray@cocc.edu, to schedule your best date! Feel free to leave a phone message with the date or dates you like and I will return your call.  I look forward to working with you all! 

News From the ODA

• In 2023, Oregon Will Have 4 Dentists Serving in the the Legislature: The November 2022 elections were exciting for Oregon dentists. ODA would like to extend our congratulations to member dentists Dr. Cedric Hayden (Senate District 6), Dr. Cyrus Javadi (House District 32), and Dr. Hai Pham (House District 36), who were all elected to serve in the Oregon Legislature. Dr. Javadi and Dr. Pham are newcomers, while Dr. Hayden previously represented House District 7. Dr. Frank Girod, who was not up for re-election this cycle, represents Senate District 9 and makes the fourth dentist serving in the legislature. We are excited to work alongside all four dentists in the coming years.
• Massachusetts Overwhelmingly Passes Question 2 Ballot Measure: Massachusetts residents voted overwhelmingly “yes” on Question 2, requiring that dental insurance carriers establish a medical loss ratio for dentistry, as well as requiring state’s carriers to spend at least 83% of premium dollars on patient care rather than on administrative costs, salaries, and profits. The measure is seen as a win for consumer protections and insurance reform, and ODA was a proud supporter of the ballot measure. The ODA Board voted to contribute financially to the campaign advocating for Question 2.  You can read more about the ballot measure here.
• Dental Day is In-Person at the Capital on February 9, 2023: Join your ODA colleagues on Thursday, February 9th for a day of advocacy at the state capitol in Salem. You’ll have the opportunity to educate legislators and their staff on critical issues impacting dentistry, tour the capitol, and network with colleagues. No previous training or experience is required, ODA will provide you with the tools you need to advocate for dentistry! Register here: https://bit.ly/2023dentalday

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

• Please go to the ‘VOLUNTEER‘ page on the menu bar for contact and additional information about the following Central Oregon organizations seeking dental volunteers:
  • Central Oregon Community College Friday Clinic
  • Medical Teams International Mobile Dental Van
  • Donated Dental Service (DDS) Program
  • Healthy Beginnings  
  • Smile Central Oregon
  • Central Oregon Community College Dental Assisting Program
  • Volunteers in Medicine Clinic

 REGIONAL  CE  CALENDAR

CLASSIFIED ADS

For Sale:  Sirona InLab MCXL in good condition with Inlab and unlimited license.

I inherited this unit with a lab purchase a few years ago and have not been using it.  It has 2018 Inlab software with an unlimited license on a computer with a monitor, the mill, and a little bench top scanner. 

It would be a great option to extend milling capacity and eliminate potential bottlenecks in daily practice, or use as a primary mill if just starting out.

Asking price:  $10,500 OBO

(Call or Text) 541-772-7729

MORE    INFO

Searching for a Dental Hygienist?

You might want to email the High Desert Dental Hygienists’ Association (CODHAinfo@gmail.com) and tell them about your need. They are very helpful and have a great database of Central Oregon Dental Hygienists and will email information about your opening to their members.

Announcements, Articles or Classifieds for the Newsletter

Article submissions for the Central Oregon Dental Community are encouraged and welcomed.  You can email your content to Dr. Mehdi Salari (bendsalari@gmail.com). The deadline to contribute articles or request the posting of information in the Newsletter is 5:00 pm PST on the last day of each month.  The Newsletter is typically sent out on the first or second day of each month. 

Advertising or Content for Future Newsletters

Please contact Dr. Mehdi Salari (bendsalari@gmail.com) if you would like to post a classified or advertisement in future issues of the Central Oregon Dental Newsletter.  The Central Oregon Dental Newsletter is available & sent to all practicing and retired Dentists, Specialists in Bend, Redmond, Prineville, Madras, Sisters, La Pine, Sunriver, Warm Springs & Powell Butte & Mitchell. The deadline to update or post an advertisement in the Newsletter is 5:00 pm PST on the last day of the each month.

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Everything above the Red Line is put together as a service to the Central Oregon Dental Community and is the nonpartisan news and events of this Newsletter.

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The Red Line

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The Red Line

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Everything below the Red Line is either for entertainment purposes or to stimulate conversation or debate. It’s personal, opinion based, has a conservative slant and is not meant to offend or upset … only to stimulate discussion. Reader discretion is advised.

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EDITORIALS / COMMENTARY

DISCLAIMER / WARNING: The opinions or comments expressed ARE NOT those of the Central Oregon Dental Society, Oregon Dental Association, American Dental Association or any of the Advertisers or Business Partners. Editorials and commentaries are OPINIONS ONLY and are simply meant to encourage discussion or dialogue. Readers are welcome and encouraged to contribute editorials or comments for inclusion in future issues.

Please Consider Contributing an Editorial or Column For Future Newsletters

This Newsletter is a forum for the Central Oregon Dental Community to stay in touch and connected and a place to have your voice heard. Your opinion columns, thoughts and feedback are encouraged and welcome.

Why I Don’t Trust or Believe Election Officials Mehdi Salari

Let’s look around a few different things that we all probably have in common. Let’s think about our (1) home, (2) place of work, (3) kids’ school, (4) restaurant we eat at, (5) our Hospitals or Assisted Living facilities, and (6) roads we drive our cars on. Let’s sample those six topics as things or experiences we might share in common.

(1) The home we live in was built by a reputable Contractor and honest workers. We paid a bunch of regulatory fees and our house passed every city or government inspection before we were allowed to live in it. However, I bet if you looked into the attic or crawl space, you will find some food wrappers from when the house was originally built, construction scraps, nails, screws, cut off wiring, wrapping material and other debris in places the workers and contractors knew that you or an inspector would not be looking at. My point is that despite all the inspections and fees we paid for our homes, a few of the guys and gals building our home cut a few corners, left a few messes they didn’t feel like cleaning up, and moved things along so they could get on to their next job.

(2) The place we all work at and the treatment we all render is not 100% perfect either. There are appointments which are occassionally messed up, there are patients and insurance companies which are billed incorrectly once in a while. There are a few short margins, light contacts or residual cement which glare at everyone on subsequent x-rays. Sometimes we find some debris on an instrument which went through the ultrasonic and autoclave. We’re always reminding our new or inexperienced staff members to not reach into the drawers and cupboards with their gloved or contaminated hands. We’re all licensed and ethical professionals, who profess excellence, the latest techniques, the best materials and best care … but there are so many people involved in the care of our patients, that every once in a while, some of our patients experience some frustration or disappointment in the care that they receive. We’re all doing and trying our best, but every once in a while someone in our office will cut a corner or not get everything perfect on a patient.

(3) The place where our kids go to school is not perfect either. Despite the best efforts of all of our licensed and professional Principals, Teachers, Counselors, Coaches and school staff; every year we have kids who get bullied at school, fall behind academically, become social misfits, drop out or fail to meet the minimum learning standards (which the State keeps lowering to save face). We pay a fortune in taxes to educate every child in the land and are constantly reassured by our Educators how amazing our education system is … and yet, so many kids fail to meet basic benchmarks and our kids are way behind other industrialized nations. We have curriculums, standards, goals and systems in place to educate our children, and yet there are still kids who are not learning. There are incredible and wonderful teachers and educators working their butts off to teach and help our kids; but we also have some teachers and educators who aren’t as good, effective, dedicated or motivated … and unfortunately, we aren’t able to help every kid.

(4) The restaurants we eat at are not perfect either. Again, these restaurants are owned and operated by ethical businessesmen and women and are regularly inspected by licensed and professional city or county inspectors; but we all get a fork, plate, glass, table or chair every once in a while which isn’t exactly clean or spotless. If you look long enough into the kitchens that you can see into, after 5 minutes of looking … you’ll usually see a person preparing the food who touches their face, nose, hair, pants or shirt while preparing your meal. We do it ourselves when we prepare our own meals in our own homes. Again, there are so many individuals involved in the preparation and delivery of our food, that there are always going to be people who don’t do things exactly right.

(5) Hospitals and Assisted Living facilities are not perfect either. Despite the best efforts of all the licensed and professional people who work hard to take care of us and our loved ones, those facilities are unfortunately understaffed and their workers are often over-burdened and over-worked. Fatigue, morale and workload unfortunately lead to some oversights in a few cases, delay in needed treatment for most, medication overlaps or mistakes, and less than ideal care every once in a while. Again, there are so many different people involved in the delivery of health care, that we cannot guarantee that every individual in that chain of care will be paying attention or deliver the highest level of possible care. Our medical system is not perfect.

(6) The roads we drive our cars on have laws, posted speed limits, cameras and Patrol Officers who enforce the laws of the road which help keep everyone safe. We all have to take an exam and get a license to drive our cars. But, despite all the rules and regulations that are in place to ensure everyone’s safety; there are licensed drivers on our roads who speed, run red lights, change lanes without checking over their shoulder, don’t stop for pedestrians at intersections, drink under the influence and so on. Everyone has a license and has been taught not to do those things; but we all bend the law when we are late for something or think we can get away with it. Again, there are so many people on our roads, that there are always going to be some people who are going to cut a few corners, break a few rules and do things that they feel will benefit them.

The point I’m trying to make or say is that despite all or our best efforts, despite all the rules and regulations, despite all the inspections, permits and laws, we are always going to have folks who are going to cut some corners and take some shortcuts to get to the finish line. While the majority of people have integrity, honor and self-respect; there are in every sector and line of work, a few people who lack those traits.

We rely heavily on other people and each other to do things in life and that adds to the imperfection because not everyone has the same education, skill set, ethics, integrity, honor, respect, priorities, communication skills and so forth. I can’t think of anything taking place in our society that involves a lot of people, and in particular our Government, which is perfect and flawless. It’s been shown over and over in government agency after government agency that government is one of the most inefficient, ineffective, unregulated, unaccountable and unethical entities in any society. Take a look at the people at the top of our government right now and tell me if you really believe they have more integrity or honesty than anybody else in our society when they aren’t on camera or aren’t being watched?

If our hospitals, schools, restaurants, roads, health care system, homes, assisted living facilities, grocery stores, malls and cities are operating with a certain degree of error and imperfection; does it not stand to reason that our election system which is being operated by thousands of different people with their fingers in the pot is also prone to shortcomings and imperction? Despite the hard work and dedication of thousands of ethical, moral, hard working and upstanding members of our communities and society; we unfortunately also have a bunch of unethical, immoral, lazy and unscrupulous members of our communities and society who work and live alongside everyone else and are involved in the final product. These folks unfortunately muddy the water and make the system imperfect. Society’s goal is perfection, but the sad truth is that not everyone is striving for perfection and that many will take the easy road, pick up their paycheck and not really be too concerned about the outcome, or the big picture.

One cannot logically state that our election system, officials and politicians are operating flawlessly, when EVERY other aspect of our society and lives have issues and shortcomings. It is arrogant, irresponsible and utterly idiotic for any Election Official to claim or state that those who question the validity of an election are spreading lies and disinformation. The response from the Oregon Secretary of State and other people who are benefiting from the current system has been to brand or silence the folks who want to see improvement, correction, transparency and the rule of law better incorporated into our election system and to dismiss individuals who want something better for society as Election Deniers and folks who spread lies and misinformation.

If our elected and election officials had integrity, honor or wanted what was best for our democracy; they would open up the books, admit that the current system (like everything else in our society) has some flaws and be open to constructive criticism. But because the current setup benefits them and their party, their response is to shift the focus off their own shortcomings and personally attack those who want to see the books and double check the math and the people doing the math. There are so many people involved in this process, and we have so many shady characters in our society … that it wouldn’t be a lie or misinformation (when you look at our society as a whole) to assume that a few people who are buried in the sea of ethical election workers are cutting a few corners or doing some bogus things behind the scenes … which unfortunately won’t be discovered or seen until somebody crawls around in the attic or crawl space. Unfortunately, nobody crawls into the attic or crawl space, for ten or fifteen years … or when there’s a leak or problem … and by then the damage has already been done.

December 2022

Dear Dr. Rupert,

One of my new staff members loves to bake.  She has been bringing in treats that she has made at home for the rest of us to enjoy.  After eating her first batch of brownies, I had a stomach ache for two days!  Her carrot cake left me with orange stools for a week!  Her chocolate chip cookies chipped one of my front teeth! 

These are tough times and it’s taken me a long time to find help and I don’t want to lose this new staff member.  How do I handle this situation with a new staff member who is good at her job, but is a terrible and awful baker?  How do I tell her to stop bringing in her baked goods?

Signed, What Do I Do?

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Dear What Do I Do?

As you know, the number one rule of running a good dental practice is to put the patients first.  If this new staff member is good at her job and great with the patients, you have to bend over backwards to keep her happy and employed at your office.  That’s what is best for your patients and practice.

You cannot afford to alienate, isolate or make her feel self-conscience about her terrible baking skills.  You are obligated to lie and tell her how wonderful her baked goods are and how much you appreciate her thoughtfulness.  You may one day go to hell for your repeated lies, but that’s better than being short-staffed and having to interview and hire a whole new staff member.

You also need to remember that your colon is very much like an athlete.  The more you train and condition your colon to take some tough foods, the tougher your colon will get over time.  You look at people who live in some remote places on earth and the food and water that their stomach can handle!  You would of course have problems if you started eating their foods if you simply visited their country, but after a couple of weeks of eating their food and drinking their water, your colon would toughen up and things would normalize.  

I would suggest you toughen up your colon and continue eating the baked goods this new staff member graciously takes the time to prepare and bring into the office.  It might not be a bad idea to run down to the Pharmacy and buy some Ipecac Syrup which you can drink after having her baked goods.  In the ideal setting, you would:

1)  Eat the baked goods in front of the new Staff member,

2)  Lie and complement the new Staff member about how good her treats are,

3)  Walk away and drink the Ipecac syrup afterwards and expectorate the stuff you consumed,

4)  Continue steps 1-3,

5)  Toughen up your colon and hold onto your good staff members.

That’s how I would proceed in this situation.  You cannot hurt the feelings of any of your Staff members, even if it means you end up with an ulcer or hole in your gut.  Time, dedication, concentration, devotion and some Ipecac syrup will strengthen your insides and eventually … this too shall pass.

Glad I could help,

Dr. Rupert