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Conference Highlights from Fall 2009 in Seattle, WA
Looking Forward to Fall 2010 in Denver, CO
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2009
ANNUAL PRIMARY CARE CONFERENCE
CHAMPS and Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) welcomed attendees, exhibitors, and presenters from across the nation at this year's Annual Primary Care Conference held October 24-28, 2009 in Seattle, WA at the Red Lion Hotel on 5th Avenue. Participants enjoyed formal and informal networking and educational opportunities combining clinicians, board members, and administrative staff from health centers, Primary Care Associations, governmental offices, and related organizations in Regions VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming) and X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington) and from across the country.
Please click or scroll down to learn more about:
CHAMPS 2009 Award Winners
Notable Speakers
Educational & Networking Sessions
Other Conference Events
Session and Event Handouts
Financial Assistance for CHAMPS Members
CHAMPS 2009 AWARD RECIPIENTS
Each year, in conjunction with the Annual Primary Care Conference, CHAMPS recognizes outstanding contributions to the Community Health Center movement by individuals in Region VIII. Nominations are submitted by Region VIII Health Centers and Primary Care Associations, and awardees are chosen by the CHAMPS Executive Committee. CHAMPS honored the following highly-deserving individuals with awards during the CHAMPS Board of Directors Meeting on Sunday, October 25th:
Elbert "Dean" Brown, retired Board Chairman of Denver Community Health Services in Colorado, was given the Exceptional Board Leadership Award in recognition of his service to Denver Health and to the community. In his 17 years of service to Denver Community Health and Denver Health, Mr. Brown has been a tireless advocate of men's health issues.
Ramona Larsen, Chief Financial Officer of Wayne Community Health Center in Utah, was awarded the Exceptional Administrative Leadership Award for demonstrating dedication to the health center mission through exceptional leadership and expertise. Her tireless work ethic helps insure the financial viability of her center, and she is admired not only for this dedication but also for her willingness to healp patients with their needs.
Dennis Royal, Executive Director for Community Action Partnership of Natrona County in Wyoming, was given the Outstanding Advocate of the Underserved Award for demonstrating dedication to the health center mission through exceptional leadership and service. Mr. Royal has also been on the Board of Directors for both CHAMPS, the Wyoming Primary Care Association, and other organizations dedicated to caring for underserved populations, and his leadership has changed lives and improved communities.
Christopher Tonozzi, MD, Glenwood Site Medical Director of Mountain Family Health Centers (MFHC) in Colorado, was awarded the Exceptional Clinical Leadership Award for demonstrating innovation, clinical excellence, and commitment to providing quality health care for all. Dr. Tonozzi is a leading voice on MFHC's Electronic Health Record Task Force, providing clinical and practical technical leadership.
  
From left: Ramona Larsen, Dennis Royal, Dean Brown, Chris Tonozzi
NOTABLE SPEAKERS
CHAMPS held its Annual Board of Directors Meeting on Sunday evening. Board members were given updates on current regional and national policy by the following speakers:
- National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) representatives Anita Monoian, Chief Executive Officer of Yakima Neighborhood Health Services in Yakima, Washington and current Chair of the NACHC Board of Directors; and Joe Gallegos, Senior Vice president of NACHC Western Operations
- HRSA representatives Donald Weaver, MD, Deputy Administrator of Primary Health Care; and Nick Zucconi, Operations Director at the Denver Regional Division, Office of Regional Operations (ORO)
At the Opening Plenary on Monday morning conference participants enjoyed HRSA and NACHC Updates and a Keynote Address focusing on health reform. Speakers included:
- Donald Weaver, MD, HRSA Deputy Administrator of Primary Health Care
- Dan Hawkins, NACHC Vice President for Policy and Research
- Katherine Hayes, of Jennings Policy Strategies, Inc.
The Tuesday Morning Plenary was given by Dr. George Rust, Director of the National Center for Primary Care at Morehouse School of Medicine.
     
Top row from left: CHAMPS Board of Directors,
CHAMPS Executive Committee
Bottom row from left: Don Weaver, Anita Monoian,
Joe Gallegos, Nick Zucconi, and George Rust
EDUCATIONAL & NETWORKING SESSIONS
The conference offered attendees a broad range of educational and networking sessions organized around the following tracks: Leadership, Clinical Operations, Clinical, Policy, Governance, Fiscal, IT, Human Resources, and PCAs. Over 55 sessions provided opportunities to learn from clinicians, administrators, and board members in Regions VIII and X, and also from other regional and national consultants. Continuing Education credit hours were offered for dentists, physicians, nurses, accountants, human resources professionals, and board members.
The pre-conference got off to a strong start with several Board Sessions from beginning to advanced levels, including:
- Board Member Training for Members with Fewer than Four Years Experience with a CHC
- High Impact Board Leadership: Solutions for You and Your Board
- Fiscal Governance: Understanding Financial Oversight of Your CHC
- Board Member Advocacy: What You Should Know and Why
Diverse Clinical Sessions were offered throughout the pre-conference and conference, including:
- New Medical Director's Training
- New Insights into Obesity and Chronic Diseases in Underserved Populations
- Addressing Weight Management in Primary Care
- Pediatric Obesity-Related Disorders
- Safety Net Medical Home Initiative
- Enhancing Oral Health Care for Kids in the Primary Care Setting
- Great Service for Challenging Patients
Multiple sessions were offered in the robust Leadership and Policy Tracks, including:
- Data-Driven Decision Making
- Bringing Healthcare Reform Home to the CHC
- CEO Basics: A Firm Foundation for the CHC Leader
- Advocating for Continued State Health Center Funding
- Converting Good Federal Law into Good Federal Policy
- Introduction to the CHC System
- FQHC Legislation and Policy
- Medical-Legal Partnership in the CHC
- Clinical Health Promoters and the Primary Care Home
- Making CHIPRA Work
- Medicare Update: Changes and Opportunities
- Implementing the Citizenship Documentation Requirement in Medicaid and CHIP
Additional Operations, Human Resources, Ficsal, and IT Sessions were available during the conference to anyone interested in expanding their knowledge and understanding of topics including:
- Ops: The Way to a Quality Center
- Ops: Redesign of the Patient Visit
- Ops: Creating Real Patient Access
- Ops: Intercultural Competence and Healthcare
- Ops: EHR Implementation Best Practices
- Ops: Call Centers: The Art of Communication and Integration
- Ops: H1N1: Epidemiology, Planning for Surge Capacity
- HR: Creating Work Relationships that Work
- HR: Medical Educational Programs and CHC Collaborations
- HR: Social Media Strategies for Recruitment
- HR: Provider Compensation for Performance
- HR: An Introduction to HR Metrics: Maximizing Value
- HR: The Metrics of Employee Engagement
- HR: Recruitment for Diversity
- HR: Best Practices for Staff Retention
- Fiscal: Performance Management for Progressive CHCs: Balanced Scorecards
- Fiscal: FIP or no FIP: Next Steps for the Capital Project
- Fiscal: Financial Status Reports
- Fiscal: Medicare Cost Reporting
- Fiscal: Optimizing Payor mix, Billing and Collections
- IT: Telehealth
- IT: Developments in Telehealth and Health Information Technology
Many separate Roundtable Sessions and Lunches were held over two days for PCA Executive Directors and CHC Chief Financial Officers, Chief Executive Officers, Clinic Operations staff, Board members, and Human Resources staff, to give conference participants the opportunity to collaborate with other experts in their fields.
OTHER CONFERENCE EVENTS
The Annual Conference is more than board meetings, educational sessions, plenary speeches, and roundtable lunches! Participants had other formal and informal ways to learn about resources, win prizes, and inspire one another.
The Exhibitor Hall was filled with organizations representing business services; healthcare services, equipment, and supplies; IT solutions; mission support; and 340B pharmacy management.
This year's annual Prize Raffle raised over $1000 for Angle lake Family Resource Center, a prevention program operating at the grassroots level to strengthen families, build up communities, and create system change. Conference participants from across Regions VIII and X were encouraged to donate raffle prizes and purchase tickets. Raffle prizes were distributed after the Tuesday Plenary.
This year's Health Center Tour visited HealthPoint's Administrative Offices and AT Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine Campus in Renton, WA and HealthPoint's Kent, WA Clinic.
The Welcome Reception on Sunday evening kicked off the main conference with plenty of hors d'oeurves and socializing.
  
From left: Raffle Winner Diane Fielden; Tuesday Plenary;
HRSA Exhibit Table
SESSION AND EVENT HANDOUTS
Some session plenary speakers provided electronic versions of their presentations, and those have ben posted on the NWRPCA website. Click HERE to review and download available Session Handouts.
FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE FOR CHAMPS MEMBERS
If you work for a CHAMPS Organizational Member, you may qualify for a registration scholarship and/or clinician travel reimbursement for your attendance at the 2009 NWRPCA/CHAMPS Annual Conference. Please refer to the forms below for more details about these programs.
Conference Scholarship Request
NOTE: Limit one scholarship per CHAMPS Organizational Member.
Clinical Travel Support Reimbursement Request
NOTE: FTE limitations may apply.
Visit the CHAMPS Organizational Members webpage to determine if your organization is a current member.
Please note that completed reimbursement forms must be submitted with supporting materials no later than December 15, 2009!
Questions about these programs? Please contact julie@champsonline.org.
FALL 2010 - JOIN US IN DENVER
The 2010 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Annual Primary Care Conference will be held in Denver, CO October 23-27, 2010 at the Westin Tabor Center. This multi-day, multi-track event will offer outstanding national experts including representatives from HRSA and NACHC as well as a variety of sessions designed to meet the needs of health center staff and Board members at all levels. Join your peers in Regions VIII and X for this cutting-edge educational and networking event!
Please click or scroll down for:
Registration
Hotel Accommodations
Tourism Information
Questions?
REGISTRATION
Registration for this conference will open in the summer of 2010. Please check back for more information.
HOTEL ACCOMMODATIONS
The Westin Tabor Center, Denver
1672 Lawrence Street
Denver, CO 80202
(303) 572-9100
Special Offers Reservations: (866) 716-8137
www.westintaborcenterdenver.com/
A conference sleeping room rate for accommodations at the Westin will be released in the spring of 2010. Please check back for more information.
TOURISM INFORMATION
Learn more about Denver at www.denver.org/.
QUESTIONS?
This conference is sponsored by Community Health Association of Mountain/Plains States and Northwest Regional Primary Care Association. For more information:
Contact CHAMPS: julie@champsonline.org or (303) 861-5165
Visit NWRPCA's web site, www.nwrpca.org
Contact NWRPCA: conferences@nwrpca.org or (206) 783-3004
We look forward to seeing you there!
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