The Kentuckiana Health Collaborative (KHC) has reached a milestone with the organization’s 10th Annual Conference. “For more than 20 years, the KHC has collaborated with employers and multi-healthcare stakeholders to improve the health and the healthcare system in our Kentuckiana communities,” stated Natalie Middaugh, KHC President and CEO. “This conference not only builds on KHC’s legacy, but it brings changes that will encourage attendee engagement and satisfaction through the new conference format, varied speakers, and downtown location.”
Join the Kentuckiana Health Collaborative at its 10th Annual Conference on September 18-19, 2024, at the Galt House Hotel in Louisville, KY to learn about the importance of whole person health and hear from thought leaders and experts on implementing a holistic approach to care. The conference will emphasize applying a whole person health approach on maternal health, mental health, and obesity – three high priority conditions for the US and the Commonwealth of Kentucky. These are also the KHC’s three strategic focus areas.
The conference consists of two half-day sessions. Day one begins with a networking lunch and concludes with a reception for attendees, sponsors, and exhibitors. Day two begins with a networking breakfast. The conference schedule allows more time for networking and meeting with sponsors and exhibitors. KHC membership is based on collaboration and that is the key to changing our healthcare system. We want participants to share their learnings, successes, and challenges with each other throughout the conference.
Day One Opens With Keynote from Harvard School of Public Health on Creating Healthier Futures Followed by Breakout Sessions and a Discussion on Integrated Whole Person Health
Dr. Steven Stack, Commissioner for Public Health and Chief Medical Officer for the Commonwealth of Kentucky and President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials will kick off the conference.
Wednesday’s keynote speaker is David R. William, Florence and Laura Norman Professor of Public Health, Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences; Professor of African and African American Studies, Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health. His address is Creating Healthier Futures for All: It’s High Time for Creative Solutions. The focus will be on both interventions within the healthcare system that address some of the social determinants of health, as well as, interventions on upstream factors (such as housing, neighborhood conditions, economic well-being and investing in early childhood development) that can lead to improvements in health and reduced social inequities in health.
For the first time, the KHC Annual Conference has six breakout sessions selected from 17 proposals. Tuesday’s breakout sessions include the following:
- Whole Person Care: Bringing Leading Industry Healthcare Services Closer to Home for Rural Kentuckians. Presented by Meleigha Milby, Pharmacist and CEO of Hometown Health System; and Jason Roop, PhD, Founder and Owner, The Center for Trait Based Transformation.
This presentation will highlight how Hometown Health System has grown from a small, locally owned pharmacy into a comprehensive healthcare model that is breaking generational cycles in rural Kentucky and beyond. Attendees will become familiar with Hometown Health’s comprehensive psychosocial education initiatives focused on relapse prevention, coping skills, family therapy, and empowering individuals to navigate life’s challenges with resilience and confidence.
- How to Provide Quality Care Without Breaking the Bank. Presented by Angela Spencer, Clinical Pharmacist, TruDataRx
Ozempic and other obesity drugs have been fueling a recent widespread craze that is impacting plans across the country. By using comparative effectiveness research (CER) as a decision tool when designing the benefit plan and policies, employers are better able to make clinically-valid coverage decisions that will result in equitable care for members, at the lowest cost.
- The Landscape of Prenatal Care Access and Quality in Kentucky: Where We Are and Where We Need to Go. Presented by Melissa Eggen, PhD, MPH, Instructor, University of Louisville School of Public Health and Information Sciences.
Prenatal care initiated in the first twelve weeks of pregnancy, or early prenatal care, is a contributing factor to decreased maternal morbidity and mortality. The session will consist of a presentation describing prenatal care utilization and outcomes among women in Kentucky, including the impact of COVID-19 on prenatal care timing and racial and geographic disparities in access. Polls will be conducted throughout the presentation to allow the audience to respond to questions such as “What do you see are the biggest barriers to prenatal care initiation in your community?” This session will provide the opportunity for a robust discussion about these barriers and ideas for strategies to improve access and quality.
- Improving Equitable Care in Oral Health Through Primary Care Integration. Presented by Wanda Gonsalves, MD, Retired Professor, Designated Kentucky Oral Health Champion by 100 Million Mouth Campaign, University of Kentucky Family Medicine
As Kentucky’s Oral Health Champion designated by a grant sponsored by the University of Massachusetts, Dr. Gonsalves will discuss ways family medicine can partner with the community to reunite primary care and oral health to improve oral health inequities brought about from those who can afford oral health treatment and those who cannot.
Day one ends with a panel of providers representing primary care, OB/GYN, behavioral health, and obesity discuss Integrating Whole Person Health Through the Care Continuum. The panel will focus on how specialties related to KHC’s three focus areas – maternal health, mental health, and obesity – influence and are influenced by whole person health, how to support collaboration among different specialties and providers, as well as what support they need from different health stakeholders. The moderator and panelists for this topic are Jamaal Richie, MD, UofL Health Primary Care Parkland; Leslie Aslam, Director of Behavioral Health Services, Sterling Health; Avi Hahn, MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology, Baptist Health; and Jennifer Paisley, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, St Elizabeth Physicians Group.
Day Two Brings a Healthcare Journalist and Podcaster to the Discussion, More Breakout Sessions, a Discussion on How the Healthcare System Addresses Whole Person Health, and KHC’s Vision for a More Equitable System for Health
Thursday’s keynote speaker is Dan Gorenstein, Founder and Executive Editor, Tradeoffs speaking and conducting interviews, as he does on the Tradeoffs podcast. Healthcare solutions are nuanced and have many pros and cons for different stakeholders. An interview with an employer and a Pharmacy Benefit Experience (PBX) company focused on decision making related to costs and availability of GLP-1s will highlight the pros and cons. Dan will interview Chris Chamness, Commissioner, Personnel Cabinet, Dept. of Employee Insurance, and Joey Dizenhouse, President and Chief Executive Officer, SlateRx.
Thursday’s breakout session includes:
- The Pivotal Role of Musculoskeletal Health in Delivering Value-Based Whole Person Care Within Commercial, Medicare, and Medicaid Populations. Presented by Stephen Clark, Clinical Innovations Director, Confluent Health; and Brooks Newman, Chief Strategy & Innovation Officer, Confluent Health.
To specifically address obesity, maternal health, and mental health, this presentation aims to shift perspectives, emphasizing musculoskeletal health as a cornerstone in the mosaic of whole person health.
- Food as Medicine in Underserved Communities: A Grassroots Approach. Presented by Taylor Ryan, Executive Director and Founder, Change Today, Change Tomorrow.
The concept of “food as medicine” has gained increasing recognition as a powerful tool for improving overall health and wellbeing. This presentation describes a grassroots effort to transform the health of underserved populations through innovative food justice initiatives.
As a follow-up to Wednesday’s discussion on how providers can collaborate for whole person health, the panel discussion Whole Person Health Collaboration from a System Perspective discusses how employers and healthcare system stakeholders can collaborate to support whole person health. The discussion will include what system processes, programs, and innovations ensure patients receive high quality, affordable, and equitable healthcare. The moderator and panelists for this discussion are Phil Belcher, CEO Healthcare TN; Greta Crutcher Collins, Provider Collaboration Director, KY, Anthem; Brett Gadow, Clinical Program Manager, Clinical Engagement Center, Navitus Health Solutions; and Dariusz Mydlarz, Global Executive Medical Director.
Dan Gorenstein assists in wrapping up the conference with a Fireside Chat: Advancing KHC’s Vision of a More Equitable System for Health. He will interview Natalie Middaugh, President and CEO, KHC, and Jenny Goins, Chief of Staff for the National Alliance of Healthcare Purchaser Coalitions.
Go to khcollaborative.org to attend KHC’s 10th Annual Conference
