By Mary Ann Roser
AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFFPublished: 8:47 p.m. Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sherri Meek, executive director of the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners, resigned earlier this month and will not be present at an April legislative hearing where board critics plan to testify.
Meek, who cited personal reasons for her resignation, is using up personal leave time before her resignation takes effect Aug. 31, said the board’s general counsel, Joy Sparks. Glenn Parker, former executive director of the Texas Board of Chiropractic Examiners, has been the dental board’s director of administration for the past several months and has taken over as acting executive director with a salary of $75,000, a $5,000 increase to compensate him for his additional duties, according to a letter from Meek to Parker.
Parker will be at the hearing of the House Public Health Committee at 10:30 a.m. April 11 in the Capitol Annex, E2.012.
At the hearing, lawmakers will hear public testimony about various health registries maintained by the state and concerns about the operations of the dental board, including its enforcement practices and a law that allows board members to act as expert witnesses in cases involving dentists, as long as the board does not object.
“No board member has ever asked for permission to serve as an expert,” Sparks said, adding that she “would have absolutely no problem” with an outright ban on it.
Members of the Houston-based Texans for Dental Reform say they plan to speak at the hearing and voice their ongoing concerns about the dental board, including uneven and unfair enforcement of the law; “overemphasis on protection of dentists;” and conflicts of interest.
The hearing is open to the public.
Sherri Meeks has been there since 2007, that’s when it all went to hell in a hand basket in Texas. I’m sure there were initially good intentions with the Frew v Texas lawsuit, but damn!! If I were a conspiracy theorist, I’d think that Private Equity firms and corporate practice of dentistry bandits (DGPA) were at artful play here.
I’m not really a betting person either, but I’d wager the Texas State Board of Dental Examiners are going to need a larger venue come April 11 at their 10:30 AM hearing!! I also think, Sherri Meeks should be dragged to that hearing, hog tied! What a chicken shit, she is!
What do you think?
