2021 Behavioral Health Care Virtual Symposium — Forward Motion: Moving a Crisis Into Action

Program originally recorded December 6 & 7, 2021

Our Race to Health Equity
Special Presentation from our Platinum Sponsor

Janssen
London Willis, National Policy and Advocacy Director
Ramona Burress, Associate Director of Diversity and Inclusion


Keynote — Behavioral Health Care in California: Achieving Generational Change Together
Stephanie Welch, Deputy Secretary, Behavioral Health, California Health and Human Services Agency


General Session — Opportunities and Partnerships: DHCS Initiatives to Improve Behavioral Health Care
Tyler Sadwith, Assistant Deputy Director, Behavioral Health, California Department of Health Care Services


Special Presentation from our Gold Sponsor


XFERALL Patient Transfer Network
Shana Palmieri, COO & Co-Founder


General Session — Engaging Communities for Improved Care

Toby Ewing, Executive Director, Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission

Lynne Ayers Ashbeck, Former Chair, Mental Health Services Oversight, and Accountability Commission and Chief Community Impact Officer, Valley Children’s Healthcare
Valley Children’s Healthcare


General Session — Developing Partnerships with County Mental Health Plans to Improve Behavioral Health Care Services

Michelle Cabrera, Executive Director, County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California

Veronica A. Kelley, MD, DS, LCSW, President, California Behavioral Health Directors Association of California


Keynote — Transforming the Los Angeles County Behavioral Health System

John Franklin, PhD, Senior Analyst, Department of Mental Health, Los Angeles County


General Session — Removing Barriers and Creating Strategies for Individuals in the Criminal Justice System

Brenda Grealish, Executive Officer, Counsel on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health, California Department Corrections and Rehabilitation



General Session — From Concept to Execution: Be Well Orange County Success Insights

Marshall Moncrief, Chief Executive Officer, Be Well Orange County 


Closing Session — EMTALA: What We All Have in Common

Alicia Macklin, Partner, Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, PC

Stephanie Welch is the Deputy Secretary of Behavioral Health at the California Health and Human Services Agency, appointed by Governor Newsom in 2020. Ms. Welch has served as Executive Officer for the Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health since 2015. She was Senior Program Manager for the California Mental Health Services Authority from 2011 to 2015, Associate Policy Director at the County Behavioral Health Directors Association from 2007 to 2011, and Associate Director of Public Policy at the Council of Community Behavioral Health Agencies from 2000 to 2005.

Tyler Sadwith is the Assistant Deputy Director for Behavioral Health at the California Department of Health Care Services. In July 2021, he was appointed to help oversee the development of behavioral health care-related initiatives and services for Medi-Cal members. Before becoming Assistant Deputy Director, Mr. Sadwith was a senior consultant at Technical Assistance Collaborative, Inc. (TAC), where he provided strategic advice and technical support to state health leaders on behavioral health policy and delivery system reforms. Prior to joining TAC, he was a technical director at the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), where he spearheaded efforts in supporting states to introduce comprehensive benefit, program, and delivery system reforms through Medicaid Section 1115 substance use disorder (SUD) demonstration waivers, with the goal of improving care and outcomes for individuals with SUD. He also helped implement the agency’s opioid strategy and managed the SUD portfolio of the Medicaid Innovation Accelerator Program, a cross-agency strategic support and technical assistance platform designed to support service delivery and payment innovation.

Toby Ewing, PhD, is the Executive Director for the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission. With the Commission, Mr. Ewing launched California’s first Mental Health Innovation Summit and an Innovation Incubator to promote novel approaches to improving mental health systems in California. He has also steadfastly worked to increase public access to high-quality data on mental health funding, programs, and outcomes.

Mr. Ewing has championed community engagement with more than $5 million in annual grants that support stakeholder advocacy, the launch of a youth leadership initiative, and creative ways of reaching the public, including through community engagement and filmmaking. The goal has always been the same: to elevate the voices of consumers, family members, and communities on mental health issues.

Lynne Ayers Ashbeck, MS, MA, RD, is the accountability commission and chief community impact officer for Valley Children’s Healthcare. She has also served as vice president at Community Medical Centers; regional vice president at the Hospital Council of Northern and Central California; and the director of Continuing and Global Education at California State University, Fresno.

Ms. Ashbeck is an elected Councilmember in the City of Clovis, first elected in 2001, and has served two terms as Mayor. She is active in a number of community organizations, including the California Partnership for the San Joaquin Valley Board of Directors, the Vice-Chair of the Fresno County Transportation Authority, and a Board member of the Community Justice Center.

Michelle Cabrera is the Executive Director for the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of CaliforniaBefore joining CBHDA, she served as the Healthcare Director for the California State Council of the Services Employees International Union (SEIU California). In this capacity, she advocated on behalf of health care workers and consumers, including SEIU California’s county behavioral health workforce, on issues related to the implementation of the Affordable Care Act, Health Equity, Health4All, and cost containment, among others. She served as a Senior Consultant for the Assembly Human Services Committee, where she specialized in child welfare issues and staffed legislation that extended foster care in California to age 21. Ms. Cabrera also served as a Program Officer for the California Healthcare Foundation, working as a liaison on state health policy in Sacramento.

Dr. John Franklin Sierra completed his Ph.D. in Industrial and Systems Engineering, with a focus on Healthcare Systems, from the University of Southern California in 2017. Soon after he joined the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health, first as a consultant and then in 2019 as a full-time Senior Staff Analyst. In his 4+ years with DMH he has worked for the Director, Dr. Jonathan Sherin, on numerous systems redesign and strategic planning projects, including as lead coordinator for the development of DMH’s new 2020-2030 strategic plan, as lead author for an analysis of gaps in the county’s mental health treatment bed network, and as lead project manager for Alternative Crisis Response, a multi-departmental initiative in partnership with the CEO’s Alternatives to Incarceration (ATI) initiative seeking to significantly bolster civilian, non-law enforcement responses to individuals experiencing behavioral health crises/emergencies throughout the county.

Brenda Grealish is the Executive Officer of the Council on Criminal Justice and Behavioral Health, which is part of the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. She served as Chief for the Medi-Cal Behavioral Health Division at the California Department of Health Care Services since 2019, where she has served in several positions, including Chief of the former Mental Health Services Division and Assistant Deputy and Acting Deputy Director for Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services. She also held several positions at the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, Office of Research including Deputy Director, Research Manager III, and Research Manager II.

Marshall Moncrief is the Chief Executive Officer of Mind OC, a not-for-profit organization created to advance the community-wide mental health collaborative known as Be Well Orange County.  Marshall also serves as a commissioner for the Orange County Commission to End Homelessness. He is a licensed psychotherapist and holds an Executive MBA in health care management.

Before his current role with Mind OC, Marshall served as the executive clinical and administrative leader of mental health and addiction services for the Hoag Health and Providence-St Joseph Health Systems, most recently overseeing hospital and primary care services across LA, Orange County, and the High Desert.

A Alicia Macklin is a partner at Hooper, Lundy & Bookman, PCAlicia provides regulatory advice to hospitals, including handling EMTALA investigations, compliance, training and counseling. She also regularly advises hospitals and behavioral health and substance use disorder treatment providers on a broad range of legal and compliance issues, including Federal and California privacy and confidentiality requirements, Medicare and Medi-Cal reimbursement, county mental health plan contracting, and involuntary civil commitment under the LPS Act (Lanterman-Petris-Short Act).  In addition to her work at the firm, Ms. Macklin is also a Lecturer at the University of California, Los Angeles Fielding School of Public Health, where she teaches Legal Environment of Health Services Management. 

On behalf of the California Hospital Association, we would like to thank our corporate sponsors for their support of the 2021 Behavioral Health Care Virtual Symposium.

Platinum Sponsor

We believe challenging something is the best way to change it. That’s why, in over 150 countries, we bring together the most creative minds and cutting-edge technology to help treat, cure, stop, and prevent some of the most complex diseases of our time. To view more about our company & products please visit: https://www.janssen.com/products/Neuroscience

Contact:
Jennifer Cunningham
Director, Healthcare Policy and Advocacy
610-304-8447
jcunnin2@its.jnj.com

Contact:
Caren Sykes
Director, Healthcare Policy and Advocacy
661-332-2577
csykes@its.jnj.com

Want to learn more about Janssen?
Select the “Contact Us” button below, provide your information and a representative will contact you directly!


Gold Sponsor

Launched in Texas in 2019, XFERALL partners with hospitals, community mental health agencies, mobile crisis teams, and law enforcement to reduce wait times for behavioral health and high-acuity medical care. In 2021, XFERALL expanded to partner with sending and receiving facilities in Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Arizona, Virginia, Colorado, Tennessee, New Mexico, and Oklahoma.

Entities using XFERALL have reduced the time from the initial transfer request from a sending facility to inpatient acceptance by another facility by 86 percent, meaning patients wait less time for essential treatment.

XFERALL is a clinicians’ tool:

  • To request and accept patient transfers based on need and real-time care availability.
  • Share clinical and demographic information to ensure appropriate transfer.
  • Track transfer requests.
  • Share post-hospitalization information with sending facility for timely follow-up care.

XFERALL works with hospitals, law enforcement, mobile behavioral health crisis teams, and community mental health agencies to accelerate the patient transfer process so patients access clinically appropriate care faster. The XFERALL mobile application and web-based platform coordinates patient transfers to improve access, timeliness, and quality of care for patients with acute physical conditions, such as stroke, trauma, and complex surgical needs, and for patients with behavioral health conditions. For more information, visit XFERALL.com.

Contact:
Shana Palmieri, LCSW
CCO & Co-Founder
682-465-8524
shana.palmieri@xferall.com

Want to learn more about XFERALL?
Select the “Contact Us” button below, provide your information and a representative will contact you directly!


Silver Sponsor

Grand Canyon University is Arizona’s premier, private Christian university committed to delivering affordable, transformative higher education. GCU’s nine colleges offer 270 academic programs, including 200 online academic programs, for traditional students and working professionals. Students may learn on GCU’s vibrant campus or as part of a dynamic online learning community. Find your purpose at gcu.edu.

Contact:
Monica Glover
University Development Counselor
831-236-7285
monica.glover@gcu.edu

Contact:
Marie Higley
University Development Counselor
602-513-4258
marie.higley@gcu.edu

Want to learn more GCU?
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Silver Sponsor

Hooper, Lundy & Bookman is the largest law firm in the country dedicated solely to the representation of healthcare providers and suppliers. With offices in Boston, Denver, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C., we have a national presence representing clients in all 50 states before federal and state agencies, county authorities, and local health districts. 

Contact:
Alicia Macklin
Partner
440-476-4944
amakclin@health-law.com

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Silver Sponsor

St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center is a licensed, not-for-profit facility providing comprehensive services to the Stockton community since 1974. St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health features inpatient and outpatient facilities offering a variety of services for adults and adolescents. Our specially trained staff of board-certified psychiatrists, physicians, and licensed professionals are committed to providing compassionate, quality care, and creating an atmosphere that fosters communication, trust, and personal growth.

Contact:
Paul Rains
Senior, Vice President, Behavioral Health
Common Spirit
paul.rains@commonspirit.org

Want to learn more about St. Joseph’s Behavioral Health Center?
Select the “Contact Us” button below, provide your information and a representative will contact you directly!


Silver Sponsor

Whitehall Manufacturing provides the health care industry with products that help ensure patient care and safety, including patient care units, scrub sinks, bariatric toilets, dialysis boxes, and ligature resistant plumbing fixtures and restroom accessories. These products help healthcare practitioners provide effective treatment to their patients. Whitehall Manufacturing has representatives and dealers in every US state and many other countries and our products can be found in healthcare facilities all over the world. For more information, visit www.whitehallmfg.com.

Contact:
Zabrina Castro
Sales
Whitehall Manufacturing
zcastro@elmcostewart.com

Contact:
Anne Yardley
Sales
Whitehall Manufacturing
ayardley@elmcostewart.com

Want to learn more about Whitehall Manufacturing?
Select the “Contact Us” button below, provide your information and a representative will contact you directly!

For additional assistance contact CHA’s Education Department at education@calhospital.org.