Conference agenda — Virtual
Wednesday, November 1
1:20 – 1:30 pm ET | Welcome to the virtual conference
1:30 – 2 pm ET | Welcome address
2 – 3:15 pm ET | Plenary session: Leading with lived experience
It is vital for people with lived experience to play an active role in shaping the field of complex care, including designing and evaluating programs, developing and advocating for policies, and leading organizations and agencies. Complex care has embraced the wisdom and power of lived experience, incorporating peers as navigators, community health workers, and promotors. Increasingly, consumers are serving on advisory boards and governing bodies, managing programs and organizations, and leading advocacy efforts. This session will explore the unique value of leaders with lived experience and how organizations can further elevate and diversify the roles of those with lived experience.
- Marcella Middleton, Executive Director, A Way Home America
- Paolo del Vecchio, Director of the Office of Management, Technology, and Operations (OMTO), Director of the Office of Recovery (OR), SAMHSA
- Victor Murray, Senior Director of Community Engagement and Capacity Building, Camden Coalition (moderator)
3:30 – 4:45 pm ET | Workshop sessions
- Applying Contingency Management, an evidence-based approach to SUD treatment
- Contracting for collaboration: A guide to healthcare- CBO contracts
- How a safety net health system and social service agency collaborate to address housing insecurity
5 – 5:45 pm ET | A complex care story share
Sharing personal narratives is a critical component of complex care and change-making. Authentic story-sharing promotes a holistic and empathetic narrative that can help bridge divides and strengthen shared understanding. This is true for the full range of complex care stakeholders, including providers, administrators, researchers, policymakers, and those with lived experience. As owners of our own stories, everyone should be able to make an informed decision about how, when, and why we share our experiences, and be able to share our stories in our own words and from our own perspectives. This session will explore the role of storytelling in complex care and how all of us can bring and leverage our personal narratives in this work.
- Luis Ortega, Director & Founder, Social Impact Storyteller
Thursday, November 2
1 – 1:10 pm ET | Welcome to day 2
1:10 – 1:40 pm ET | Plenary session: The behavioral health priorities of complex care
The behavioral health needs of all Americans have been at the forefront of national conversations in recent years, with rates of anxiety, depression, addiction, and drug overdose on the rise. This crisis has been exacerbated by the social isolation resulting from the pandemic, gun violence and public safety concerns, and structural racism. Yet, this crisis also creates opportunities — including new investments, innovation, and greater recognition and reduced stigma around behavioral health conditions.
This national response reflects a growing understanding of the need for a comprehensive and coordinated behavioral health response. What is included in this comprehensive response? How do we ensure equitable access? This session will outline current federal and state priorities in behavioral health and how policymakers and advocates are ensuring that these initiatives benefit those with complex health and social needs.
- Emily Bailey, Chief, Office of Behavioral Health, MassHealth
- Reyna Taylor, Senior Vice President of Public Policy, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
- Kathleen Noonan, President & CEO, Camden Coalition (moderator)
1:40 – 2:25 pm ET | Plenary session: The value of community behavioral health centers in an ecosystem of care
Organizations and communities across the country are piloting and scaling approaches to increase coordination and improve access to behavioral health services for those with complex health and social needs. The Community Behavioral Health Clinic (CBHC) is an emerging model “designed to ensure access to coordinated comprehensive behavioral health care” and improve coordination with healthcare providers, social service agencies, law enforcement, schools, and other complex care ecosystem organizations. This session will explore the value that CBHCs offer patients and community partners seeking a more collaborative and whole-person approach to care.
- Brent McGinty, President & CEO, Missouri Coalition of Community Mental Health Centers
- Debbian Fletcher-Blake, President & CEO, VIP Community Services, Inc.
- Natasha Dravid, Senior Director of Care Management & Redesign Initiatives, Camden Coalition (moderator)
2:25 – 2:50 pm ET | Discussion room with moderator
2:55 – 3:45 pm ET | Workshop sessions
- California’s 1115 re-entry demonstration waiver
- Expanding first response: Amherst Community Responders for equity, safety, & service
- Faith Health Advocates/Community Health Workers: Changing the trajectory of whole-person care
- Integrated, whole-person care for home-based seniors with complex conditions
3:50 – 4:40 pm ET | Workshop sessions
- Addressing the behavioral health needs of youth and their families through two-generational and team-based approaches
- Lessons learned: Building an ECM/CS program from the dream to the reality
- Uniting behavioral health and primary health to create a unique position in a complex care team
- University of Miami family navigator program: An effective patient family model that supports health equity
4:45 – 5:45 pm ET | Caring for those experiencing homelessness: A conversation with Jim O’Connell
Jim O’Connell has been serving individuals experiencing homelessness in Boston for nearly 40 years. He is the founding physician for Boston Health Care for the Homeless Program and currently serves as the organization’s President. In this session, Jim will explore his care philosophy and strategies, the lessons gleaned, and the stories that still stick with him.
- Jim O’Connell, President, Boston Healthcare for the Homeless Program
Friday, November 3
11:30 – 11:35 am ET | Welcome to the final day
11:35 am – 12:25 pm ET | Workshop sessions
- Co-creating HCBS survey questions by integrating lived experiences: A California pilot study
- Integrating peer-led group interventions into community and behavioral health to empower CHWs and communities
- Kīnāʻole – Ensuring the right care, at the right place, at the right time
12:30 – 1:45 pm ET | Plenary session: The therapeutic landscape: Embedding health and healing throughout the ecosystem
All people experience mental health along a continuum, whether one has a diagnosed mental health condition or not. The physical and social environments we encounter in our daily lives can contribute either positively or negatively to our mental health and well-being. Organizations that serve predominantly low-income and high need individuals can intentionally design programs and spaces to positively impact mental health and well-being through the use of physical space, staffing, organizational culture, and other elements. This session will explore how complex care ecosystems can promote mental health and well-being beyond traditional therapy and counseling. Specifically, how healthcare, education, and criminal-legal settings can create therapeutic landscapes that promote resilience and healing.
- Jenna Parafinczuk, Director of Student Support, Boston Public Schools
- Jenna Savage, Deputy Director, Office of Research and Development, Boston Police Department
- Kevin Simon, MD, MPH, Chief Behavioral Health Officer, Boston Public Health Commission
- Sheryl Mathis, Senior Director of Technical Assistance, Camden Coalition (moderator)