SPOKANE, Wash. Two consecutive health conferences under the same theme, “Creating a Thriving Rural Workforce, Health System, and Community”, will be held in Spokane, Wash., March 19 and March 20-21.
Incorporating Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and Alaska, this is the Northwest’s largest gathering on rural health with more than 300 health professionals attending each conference at the Red Lion Hotel at the Park in Spokane.
6th NW Regional Critical Access Hospital Conference, March 19
This one-day conference is designed specifically for critical access hospital (CAH) administrators, staff, clinicians and board members. Attendees learn, share, plan and maximize the opportunities offered through the CAH designation as experts present on quality/performance improvement, billing, rural workforce, health information technology, CMS, board development, models of rural care delivery and more.
“The Critical Access Hospital environment continues to evolve, producing new opportunities and concerns,” said Mike Lee, chair NW Regional CAH Conference.
The conference aims at delivering useful information and tools that attendees can apply to their scope of work, providing presentations from high level federal program leaders and Northwest fiscal intermediary staff, and highlighting board development, health information, quality improvement, and staffing “best practices” from CAH peers.
Keynote speakers and topics include:
– Marcia Brand, Federal Office of Rural Health Policy. “Our Collaborative Future: The National Agenda” and “Oral Health Improving Rural Outcomes.”
– John Gale, Maine Rural Health Research Center, University of Southern Maine and Peter House, WWAMI AHEC Program Office, University of Washington. “Community Benefit & Critical Access Hospitals: What is Happening at the State and National Levels?”
– Ed Phippen, program director, Health Work Force Institute with a panel of CAH & QIO representatives. “Emerging and Future Models of Rural Care Delivery: Lean Management Principles in CAHs.”
This conference is produced by state offices of rural health for Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington.
21st NW Regional Rural Health Conference, March 20-21
The conference is designed to be of interest to a wide range of rural health advocates including providers, community leaders, administrators, board members, commissioners, policy makers, public health professionals and others.
“We are honored and pleased that Washington’s Governor, Christine Gregoire, will be addressing conference participants,” said Jodi Palmer, chair NW Regional Rural Health Conference. “Governor Gregoire has made it a priority to increase quality, affordable health care. We applaud her efforts to create thriving, healthy rural communities.”
The conference strives to stay abreast of the current policy and regulation developments at the federal, regional, state and local levels which impact healthcare delivery. While at the same time delivering content inclusive of collaborative rural models, innovative community projects, quality, healthcare information technology and other underlying themes that shape the way business is done.
Keynote speakers and topics include:
– Mary Wakefield, RN, FAAN, associate dean for Rural Health & director, Center for Rural Health & Health Sciences School of Medicine, University of North Dakota. “Creating High Performance Rural Health Care: Next Steps.”
– Clinton MacKinney, M.D., Stroudwater Associates on “Physician Allies.”
– Address by Gov. Christine Gregoire of Washington State during Thursday WRHA Awards Luncheon.
– Northwest Health Leaders Panel. Mary Selecky, secretary of health, Washington State Department of Health, will moderate a panel of health leaders from across the Northwest states including Jay Butler, M.D., chief medical officer, Alaska Department of Health; Grant Higginson, M.D., administrator Office of Community Health and Health Planning of Oregon Public Health Division; Jeffrey Lee, registered nurse, staff epidemiologist, Panhandle Health District, Idaho; and Joan Miles, director, Montana Department of Health and Human Services.
The conference is presented by the Washington Rural Health Association and the Washington statewide Office of Rural Health including the Area Health Education Center of Eastern Washington, WSU Extension; Office of Community and Rural Health, Washington State Department of Health; University of Washington School of Medicine; Washington State University; and Western Washington Area Health Education Center.
For full conference schedules or to register online go to www.ahec.spokane.wsu.edu. For added convenience, register for one or both conferences at the same time using just one registration form.
Registration is required to attend the conferences and preferred by March 7. CAH Conference registration is $50 and Rural Health Conference fees range from $125-$245. For a copy of the brochure containing information for both conferences, go to the Web address listed above or contact the Area Health Education Center of Eastern Washington, WSU Extension at 509- 358-7640, 800-279-0705 or ahec@wsu.edu.
Conference sponsors include Association of Washington Public Hospital Districts, Red Capital and The Neenan Company, Parker Smith Feek, GCI ConnectMD, Washington Health Foundation, Idaho Area Health Education Center, and Washington State Department of Health, Office of Community and Rural Health.
