Plenary 1: Addressing the National Landscape
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Chuck Ingoglia, MSW
President and CEO | National Council for Behavioral Health
Barbara Merrill
CEO | ANCOR
In the midst of a global crisis and a once-in-a-century pandemic, the health and wellbeing of people around the nation is more important than ever. Mr. Chuck Ingoglia, National Council, and Ms. Barbara Merrill, ANCOR, will share updates from the federal landscape that affect the behavioral health and intellectual and developmental disability systems. Join us to hear about topics such as calls for the strengthening of Medicaid, the effects of additional COVID-19 relief packages, innovations in providing treatment and services, and policy updates.
Plenary 2: Understanding and Promoting Everyday Human Interactions
TUESDAY, SEPTEMBER 22
3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Dana Winters, PhD
Faculty and Academic Director | Fred Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children’s Media at Saint Vincent College
It is sometimes difficult to imagine how small and ordinary moments fit within the complex challenges around us, yet such moments are the most essential building blocks of a healthy community. Finding meaningful ways to understand, appreciate, and promote such moments can be encouraging, enriching, and empowering at every level of a human services system. At the foundation of every person’s healthy development is the power of human connection and we will explore the power we have to build connections and contribute to the positive development of those around us.
Plenary 3: Using the Crawford Bias Reduction Theory to Manage Three Pandemics: COVID, Racism, and Financial Uncertainty
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Dana E. Crawford, PhD
Owner | Dr. Dana E. Crawford
If 2020 has taught us anything, it’s that things change quickly and flexibility is golden. In the coming months, there will be more COVID, more racism, and more economic uncertainty. Additionally, there will be both challenges and beauty. In this presentation, Dr. Crawford invites participants to explore ways to engage in value-driven living, rather than emotion driven responses. She will also discuss specific challenges related to becoming an antiracist, pandemic parenting, and finding interpersonal fulfillment. The presentation will discuss concrete strategies for coping through arduous days ahead.
Plenary 4: DHS Executive Deputy Secretary Clarke Madden
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 23
3:15 pm – 4:30 pm
Clarke Madden
Executive Deputy Secretary | PA Department of Human Services
Join Executive Deputy Secretary Clarke Madden to learn about innovations from the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services and how to implement these innovations and priorities in your own organization. Mr. Madden’s work in strategic planning, performance management, and lean management principals all offer takeaways for providers.
Plenary 5: The Remote Work Experience: What Innovative Companies Are Doing to Create Successful Remote Teams
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
11:15 am – 12:30 pm
Jeff Butler
Speaker, Author, and Workplace Strategist
In 2020, no one was planning on COVID-19 to force thousands of companies to transition to remote work. With these abrupt changes, countless teams found themselves communicating less, employee engagement lowered, and deadlines missed because of the inevitable remote work challenges. The in-person managerial and leadership skills simply do not solve the obstacles that the remote workplace experience brings. However, there are a select few innovative companies that are leading the charge by building unstoppable remote workforces that are unexpectedly more effective than in-person teams. So what are these companies doing that makes them so successful? Since 2014 and well before the time of COVID, Jeff Butler has been building remote teams across different time zones and studying what the most successful remote companies do. From his research, he put them into practice in his own companies to discover the truth from fallacy. The ideas he found are simple, yet profound, but most importantly, when someone learns how to master the remote manager techniques, it would make them that much better of an in-person leader. Learning to master remote work is no longer optional; it’s a necessity — but fortunately, anyone can create a successful workforce, it’s just a matter of how.
Plenary 6: Telehealth and Behavioral Healthcare – What’s Now, What’s Next?
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
12:45 pm – 2:00 pm
Frankie Berger, MSS
Director, State Policy and Advocacy |
National Council for Behavioral Health
Megan Herber
Director | Faegre Drinker Consulting
Eric Kiehl
Director of Policy and Partnerships | Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC)
Gain perspective from panelists working in the telehealth space about the current state of telehealth flexibilities, considerations and challenges for implementing and sustaining telehealth delivery of behavioral health services, and where telehealth flexibilities are headed beyond the public health emergency.
Plenary 7: Leading Through the Life Cycle of a Crisis
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
2:30 pm – 3:45 pm
Toni Pergolin
President and CEO | Bancroft
The life cycle of a crisis can take many forms and as leaders we need to be ready for every twist and turn along the way. Some crises are under our control, while others may not be. Some require a knowledge or skill set we have, while others may not. But the key to surviving a crisis – no matter what kind – is being prepared in advance and then acting quickly in response to the changing forms of the crisis. In good times and in bad, over the short-term or long-term, leaders must be forward-thinking and prepared for any scenario. As we continue through the life cycle of this current crisis, we must adjust to the changing circumstances and in some cases, move to a new way of operating. The life cycle of a crisis is critical for any leader to recognize in order to devise a plan for survival.
Plenary 8: Concurrent State Updates
P8A: DOH
P8B: DDAP/OMHSAS/OAR
P8C: OCYF
P8D: ODP
P8E: OLTL
THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 24
4:15 pm – 5:30 pm
P8A – Raphael Barishansky, DrPH
Deputy Secretary | Health Prepardness and Community Protection
P8B – Jennifer Smith
Secretary | Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs
Kristen Houser, MPA
Deputy Secretary | Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Daniel Jurman
Executive Director | Office of Advocacy and Reform
P8C – Jon Rubin
Deputy Secretary | Office of Children, Youth and Family Services
P8D – Kristin Ahrens
Deputy Secretary | Office of Developmental Programs
P8E – Jamie Buchenauer, MPA
Deputy Secretary | Office of Long-Term Living
Learn more about the state of the Commonwealth by attending one of the concurrent plenary sessions with updates from senior officials in Pennsylvania’s Health and Human Services Departments. Speakers will share priorities for the coming year, regulation and policy changes, new initiatives in managed care and value-based purchasing, and how their department has been addressing treatment and services in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Time will be available for questions and answers with the audience.