| How can we better approach the treatment of complicated high needs/high cost patients? |
| Keynote: Dr. Clemens Hong Medical Director, Community Health Improvement, Community Health & Integrated Programs, County of Los Angeles Department of Health Services Dr. Hong is a primary care physician and the Medical Director of Community Health Improvement at the Los Angeles County Department of Health Services. His work centers on approaches to improving population health for vulnerable populations through primary care and community health delivery models. At LA County, he is working to strengthen delivery integration across County and community-based health delivery entities and to better address social and behavioral determinants of health. He is helping to lead the county’s response to the Whole Person Care Pilot within the MediCal (California Medicaid) 2020 Waiver, a $3 billion, 5-year program to improve health delivery to the sickest, most vulnerable MediCal beneficiaries. Dr. Hong is also the co-founder of Anansi Health, an organization with the mission to support widespread adoption of CHW-integrated models through training and technical assistance. Using Anansi tools and principles, he is supporting the integration of CHWs into primary care-integrated, intensive care management teams in Los Angeles County. As a health services researcher, Dr. Hong has focused on incentive-based payment programs, primary care risk stratification approaches, transitional and primary care models for individuals returning to the community from prisons, complex care management programs for high-cost, high-need individuals, and the integration of community health workers (CHWs) onto care teams. | |
| Keynote: Dr. Richard Lewanczuk Senior Medical Director, Provincial Primary Health Care, Alberta Health Services; Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Alberta Dr. Lewanczuk obtained his MD from the University of Alberta in 1983. He then completed Internal Medicine specialization and entered a combined Endocrinology Fellowship/PhD in Medical Sciences at the University of Alberta, which he completed in 1992. This was followed by post-doctoral studies in Montreal, Detroit, and New York. In 1994, Dr. Lewanczuk returned to the University of Alberta as a member of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, of which he was Director from 1998-2006. Currently, Dr. Lewanczuk is a Professor in both the Departments of Medicine and Physiology. Dr. Lewanczuk assumed the role of Medical Director for Chronic Disease Management for Capital Health in 2007. With the inception of Alberta Health Services, he became Senior Medical Director for Primary Health Care. In this portfolio, he oversees all primary care activities for the Province of Alberta, as well as service delivery in areas that include chronic disease, and community and rural health care. Dr. Lewanczuk is active in research with over 300 published papers and abstracts. He has published widely and carried out clinical trials in the areas of diabetes, hypertension, chronic disease management, and therapeutic natural products, as well as in the area of drug-disease interactions. His current research centers around the interactions between physical activity, obesity, insulin resistance, and cardiovascular function in children, as well as in the area of drug-disease interactions. | |
| Panel Chair: Ms. Robyn Blackadar President and CEO Ms. Robyn Blackadar has over 20 years of experience in Alberta’s social and health system focusing on policy development and analysis, quality improvement, knowledge mobilization, and data system innovation. Appointed in September 2012 as President and CEO, Ms. Blackadar is responsible for strategic and operational leadership of the Alberta Centre for Child, Family & Community Research (The Centre). She oversees The Centre’s generation and mobilization of evidence for child and family well-being through a collaborative cross-sector approach between government, academia, and the community. Ms. Blackadar leads the team responsible for the analysis of linked administrative data from all child and youth serving ministries through the Child and Youth Data Laboratory. She provides strategic advisory support to provincial initiatives such as the Early Childhood Development Research and Innovation Strategy, Alberta Mentoring Partnership, Building an Inclusive Education System, Addictions and Mental Health Strategy and the Maternal Newborn Youth and Child Strategic Clinical Network. Ms. Blackadar holds a B.A. in Psychology from the University of Calgary, an MBA from the University of Alberta, and an adjunct appointment in the Department of Pediatrics, University of Alberta. | |
| Panel Member: Mr. Truman Severson Severson Vice President, Innovation and Business Development, Covenant Health Mr. Severson is Vice-President, Innovation and Business Development at Covenant Health - a role he assumed in March 2012. In this capacity, he has had key involvement in Covenant Health’s strategic initiatives that are focused on seniors, such as the development of new continuing care facilities and the launch of the Network of Excellence in Seniors Health and Wellness. Covenant Health is Canada’s largest Catholic healthcare provider. While providing a full spectrum of care from birth to end-of-life, Covenant’s unique focus is on those most vulnerable: Seniors, Mental Health and Addictions, Palliative End-of-Life, and Rural Care. Mr. Severson’s education includes an MBA from Royal Roads (2012), a BSW from the University of Calgary (1993) and a BA - Religious Studies (1989) from the University of Alberta. He is the current Board Chair for the Alberta Continuing Care Association. | |
| Panel Member: Ms. Michelle Craig Acting Executive Director, Addiction and Mental Health Branch, Health Services Division Ms. Craig is Acting Executive Director of the Addiction and Mental Health Branch of Alberta Health. She has extensive experience directing and providing strategic leadership in many initiatives supporting quality improvement, service integration and system transformation. Currently, Ms. Craig is leading the response to the Valuing Mental Health Report. | |
