

"I have been the Chair of the Committee om Substance Abuse
and Well-Being for more than 15 years and I’m still amazed at the scope of the
effects of alcoholism and substance abuse to our own colleagues, their families
and their practices. I can also tell you that the Sullivan Grant Fund provides
a start to those in need for a rehab that will save their lives and careers. To
see a dentist recover is a beautiful experience and it keeps me returning to
the Committee. This contribution is so important especially during these trying
times and I wanted to say thank you on behalf of every dentist and family who
so much need us!" -Dr. Robert Herzog
Few families have not been touched in some harrowing way by alcohol or drug abuse. Forty years ago, talking openly about addiction was taboo, no more so than among educated professionals. In the last thirty years, the Sullivan Grant has aided hundreds of dentists whose professional careers, families and very lives are threatened by an insidious disease. Since the advent of the COVID pandemic, the incidence of substance abuse among health care professionals has skyrocketed.
The Sullivan Grant provides a confidential, non-punitive alternative to helping impaired dentists recognize and seek treatment for their addictions. Through recommendations made by the members of the NYSDA Committee on Substance Abuse & Well-Being, the NYS Dental Foundation is able to donate funds toward treatment for men and women who sincerely wish to conquer their illnesses and return to practice their profession, safely and successfully.
Through administration of the Sullivan Grant, the Foundation is a proven entity that knows that that organized dentistry is only as strong as its weakest members.
Donations to the Sullivan Grant are segregated into a separate account and used solely for the purposes of providing treatment to impaired professionals.
Tax-deductible contributions to the Dr. Thomas Sullivan Substance Abuse Grant Program can be made c/o the New York State Dental Foundation, 20 Corporate Woods Boulevard, Suite 602, Albany, NY 12211. All monies contributed to this account will be used solely for the purposes of assisting impaired dentists.
NYSDA lost a giant at the end of January, with the death of Dr. John “Jack” Scullin, aged 97. He left behind a large and loving family, and several friends within his community of Oswego.
Jack’s obituary listed his numerous professional and community accomplishments, and noted that he was a long-time “friend of Bill W.” For those of you who wonder, Bill W is a reference to the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA), whose members dedicate themselves to helping each other achieve and maintain sobriety.
These days, substance abuse of any kind is recognized as a verifiable illness by the public at large. Hardly anybody exists whose family has not been touched in some way by alcohol or drug abuse. But four decades ago, talking openly about addiction was still somewhat verboten, no more so than in the realm of educated professionals. And the idea that any professional association not only would acknowledge that fact, but would establish a committee to help restore its members to health and professional wholeness was absolutely unheard of.
In the early 1980s, Jack Scullin, along with a small cadre of fellow recovering alcoholics and NYSDA members, made the courageous decision to bring the issue of alcohol and drug abuse within the profession to the Board of Governors, in the hope that collectively, a vehicle would be established to provide a confidential, non-punitive alternative to help impaired dentists recognize and seek treatment for their addictions. NYSDA immediately, and wisely, gave its unquestioning support, paving the way for the establishment of Chemical Dependency Committee, which exists to this day and has helped scores of dentists seek and accomplish recovery.
In broaching the sensitive topic of addiction and recovery, and in so doing, admitting publicly his own struggles, Jack was fearless, and yet, as befits the tenets of AA, humble. He sought not accolades or plaques. Instead, he sought to offer assistance to those colleagues who found themselves in situations similar to that which has been his own, and who were desperate and ready to heal. Having an advocate such as Jack Scullin at the ready, without judgement or prejudice, has helped to ensure that many men and women have been able to conquer their illnesses and return to practice their profession, safely and successfully.
People like Jack Scullin, who put aside feelings of embarrassment or shame, in order that others can get help, succeed and flourish, are part of the fabric that makes organized dentistry in general, and NYSDA in particular, a professional entity that knows that it is only as strong as its weakest members.