David Gergen, President of Pro Player Health Alliance and Executive Director of the Dental Divison of the ASBA, Met With the Dept. of Transportation in Washington
Washington, DC (PRWEB) July 25, 2013 -- July 11, 2013 marked the beginning to a new future for commercial truck drivers in America. As Executive Director of the Dental Divison of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy, David Gergen and four additional experts presented new alternatives for keeping drivers safe at the wheel to the Department of Transportation in Washington, DC. In attendance in the office of Anthony Foxx (United States Secretary of Transportation), was Larry Minor (Associate Administrator for Policy), Marty Russo (lobbyist and former congressman of Illinois), Shannon Watson (Senior Policy Advisor, Office of Policy), Elaine Papp (Chief, Medical Programs Division), Angela Ward (Occupational Health Nurse, Medical Programs Division) and Lucas Robinson (Intern, Office of Policy).
Inventor Dr. Rick Bonnato-President of Braebon Corporation, Mr. Mitch Livingston-Vice President of Braebon Corporaton, and Mr. David Gergen were three of the experts present in addition to Dr. Elliott Alpher and Dr. Richard Klein. Dr. Alpher and Dr. Klein have led the effort to inform government officials with facts regarding obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) and the relation to the transportation industry.
Together they explained that compliance and usage is measurable with a CPAP machine and not measurable with an oral appliance, until now. Gergen, as an oral appliance expert who works with NFL greats, drew several comparisons between the large sizes of truck drivers and NFL football players. David owns Gergen's Orthodontic Lab which is a company that leads the country in fabrication of the acrylic Herbst Device; the same oral appliance thought not able to deliver statistics through reliable studies.
Dr. Rick Bonnato invented a sensor which is able to be implanted into the oral appliance. Mr. David Gergen confirmed that various oral appliances would be able to be manufactured with such sensors inside. Gergen says, "Dr. Bonnato's sensor is the best compliance chip on the market."
Also discussed was the topic of a new ability to collect important information through sleep testing that can now be done right from an off-site location such as the cab of a trucker’s tractor or even a hotel room. That technology would allow monitoring of each driver’s progress and ensure their treatment’s settings are relevant. “Last year over 200,000 people on the roadways in this nation lost their lives due to sleepy drivers and now American roads will be safer and drivers can feel more confident in their safety,” says Dr. Richard Klein.
For more information about Dr. Elliott Alpher, please visit http://www.thealphercenter.com.
For more information about Dr. Richard Klein, please visit http://www.sleepapneamichigan.com.
For more information about Dr. Rick Bonnato , Mitch Livingston, and Braebon Corporation, please visit http://www.braebon.com.
For more information about the American Sleep and Breathing Academy, visit http://www.americansleepandbreathingacademy.com
About Pro Player Health Alliance
Pro Player Health Alliance (PPHA) is an organization dedicated to helping former NFL players and the public through providing testing and treatment options for those who suffer from sleep apnea. In addition, the PPHA is dedicated to integrating education and raising awareness, in a fun and memorable way. The PPHA was created by David Gergen.
About David Gergen
As President of Pro Player Health Alliance, he has been a nationally respected dental lab technician for over 25 years. He received the award for "The Finest Orthodontic Technician in the Country" given by Columbus Dental in 1986. He also has been appointed chair of the dental wing of the American Sleep and Breathing Academy, a national interdisciplinary academy dedicated to sleep training and education with over 60,000 members. He has worked for some of the pioneers in the orthodontic and sleep dentistry fields. One of his proudest achievements is receiving The National Leadership award for Arizona Small Businessman of the Year in 2004.
David L. Burnett, Pro Player Health Alliance, http://www.proplayersleep.com, (202) 223-4564, [email protected]
Share this article