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 19th:

Jennifer Thomas, Clinic Director for Community Health Centers, Inc., in Salt Lake City, Utah, was given the Outstanding Advocate of the Underserved Award for exemplifying the Community Health Center ideal and providing leadership by example. Jennifer's award was presented by Gina Flanagan, the CHAMPS Treasurer.

  
  
Top row from left: CHAMPS Executive Committe members
Gina Flanagan, Jim Guyer, Catherine Keene, Kate McIvor, and
Jerry Brasher with CHAMPS Executive Director Julie Hulstein
(Not pictured: Aaron Garman, Pam Locken, and John Mengenhausen)
Second row from left: Kate McIvor and Mitzi Moran;
Jennifer Thomas and Gina Flanagan

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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:

• Lil Anderson, Executive Director of RiverStone Health in Billings, Montana and current Chair of the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) Board of Directors.
  
• HRSA representatives Jim Macrae, Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC) Associate Administrator; Angela Powell, BPHC Western Division Director; and Beth Dillon, Director of the Denver Regional Division, Office of Performance Review (OPR).
  

The Opening Plenary on Monday morning conference participants enjoyed a welcome from the mayor of Denver, HRSA and NACHC Updates, and a Keynote Address. Speakers included:

• John Hickenlooper, Mayor of Denver, Colorado.
  
• Jim Macrae, BPHC Associate Administrator.
  
• Dan Hawkins, NACHC Vice President for Federal, State, and Public Affairs.
  
• Jim Davison, of Speaking of Adventure, gave the Keynote Speech providing inspiration to strive for excellence and overcome adversity, no matter how big the challenge.
  

The Tuesday Lunch Plenary, given by Les Wallace of Signature Resources, addressed equipping organizations for performance that endures.

      
        
Top row from left: Lil Anderson (third from left) with the CHAMPS Executive Committee during the CHAMPS Annual Board of Directors Meeting; Jim Macrea, Angela Powell, and Beth Dillon addressing the
CHAMPS Board of Directors;
Middle row from left: Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper, Dan Hawkins and Jim Macrae, and Jim Davison addressing conference participants at the Monday Plenary; Les Wallace during the Tuesday Plenary
Bottom: Participants enjoying lunch on Tuesday

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EDUCATIONAL & NETWORKING SESSIONS

The conference offered attendees a broad range of educational and networking sessions organized around the following tracks: Leadership, Operations, Clinical, Policy & Advocacy, Board, Fiscal, and PCAs. Almost 50 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, and human resources professionals.

The pre-conference got off to a strong start with several Board Sessions from beginning to advanced levels, including:

• Governance leadership roles in the 21st century
  
• Creating and enhancing the relationship between the CHC board and CEO
  
• Preparing for executive transitions and being intentional about the organization's leadership needs
  
• Understanding financial and operations management oversight
  

Diverse Clinical Sessions were offered throughout the pre-conference and conference, including:

• Principles and practice of risk management
  
• Lifestye changes for managing diabetes
  
• Creating a primary care medical home
  
• Behavioral health in the primary care setting
  
• Treating substance abuse as a chronic medical illness
  
• Role of the Medical Director
  
• Clinical ethics in rural settings
  
• Managing chronic pain patients
  
• Providing cultural competent care for the GLBT community
  

A new 2008 track of Leadership Sessions were offered, including:

• Affiliations between health centers and family medicine residency programs
  
• Skills and tools for becoming a more effective and influential leader
  
• Creating collaborative leadership to build organizartional capacity from the inside-out
  
• Building the Medical Director/Executive Director relationship
  
• Employee coaching
  
• Resolving issues without conflict
  

• Open access and redesign
• A culture of quality in CHCs
• World class healthcare customer service
• Operational assessments
• Electronic medical records
• Introduction to CHCs
• Developing a medical assistant program
• FQHC legislation and policy
• Planning for new business ventures
• New employee orientation
• Presidential candidate health plans
• CHC clinician recruitment and retention
• Benefits and compensation
• Immigration policy
• Recruitable communities
• Maximizing earned income
• Retaining physicians in underserved areas
• Wage and hour compliance
• Centralized scheduling
• CHCs and emergency response

Many separate Roundtable Sessions and Lunches were held over three days for PCA Executive Directors, CHC Chief Financial Officers, CHC Chief Executive Officers, Clinic Operations staff, CHC Board members, and Human Resources staff, to give conference participants the opportunity to collaborate with other experts in their fields.

  
From left: Recruitable Communities Session; Recruitable Communities speakers Clint Cresawn, Cherith Chapman, and Lou Ann Wilroy

    
    
    
Top row from left: CHAMPS Exhibit; Raffle Prizes
Second and third rows: Conference participants enjoy the
Welcome Reception

- Sydney J. Harris