2024 Emergency Services Forum Resources

Kirsten Barlow 
Vice President, Policy 
California Hospital Association 
Kirsten joined the California Hospital Association as Vice President, Policy in December 2021, where she manages behavioral health policy issues. Over the three prior years, Kirsten established an independent consulting practice providing policy, finance, and strategic expertise to clients, including: Aurrera Health Group; the National Alliance of Mental Illness – California; California Public Administrators, Public Guardians, and Public Conservators Association; California Hospital Association; Hospital Association of Southern California; and Hospital Council of Northern and Central California. 

Barbara L. Bond, M.D. 
Emergency Medicine 
Sutter Health 
Dr. Barbara Bond is a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician with more than 15 years of experience working in a variety of clinical settings. She has frontline experience with the complexities of hospital operations as well as those of health care systems. Dr. Bond helped develop a system-wide overcapacity scoring system and surge plan for Sutter system hospitals. She has served as Chair of Sutter’s Emergency Medicine Leadership group for the past nine years, supporting 21 emergency departments. She is also a subject matter expert for Sutter Health’s Emergency Management System (SHEMS). Dr. Bond currently practices at Eden Medical Center in Castro Valley, California.

Nick Clay 
President 
Emergency Medical Services Administrators’ Association of California  
Nick is a passionate leader in health care with over two decades of experience in EMS and global health care. He worked his way up through the ranks in the private ambulance industry, leaving to launch the industry’s first paramedic/EMS program in the large passenger cruise space. During his career, he has been recognized for his ability to simultaneously manage multiple initiatives and for his talent at cross-functional collaboration. Nick serves as the President for the Emergency Medical Services Administrators’ Association of California.

Steve Grau 
Vice President 
California Ambulance Association
Steve Grau is the CEO/Founder of Royal Ambulance and the Founder/Chairman of Onward Health. For the last twenty years, Steve has dedicated himself to EMS and solving transportation barriers to access to care. Royal Ambulance serves six Bay Area counties and over 25 hospitals, focusing on patient flow and data-driven transportation solutions. Onward Health provides technology and door-through-door transportation, serving systems such as VA, UCSF, UCI, Stanford Children’s, and others. Steve serves as a CAA VP, Legislative Committee leader, and Chair of Education.

Alexander Hamilton 
Southern Branch, Assistant Branch Director 
California Fire Chiefs Association 
Alex Hamilton is the Fire Chief for the Oxnard Fire Department, where he started his career as a firefighter in 2005. Chief Hamilton has served in a variety of assignments, including Grant Writer and Grant Project Manager as well as a hazardous materials specialist, urban search and rescue team member, member of the Police/Fire Dive Team, Peer Support Team, and Honor Guard. Additionally, is a leader in the field of Firefighter behavioral health, teaching a variety of classes in suicide intervention and awareness, resiliency, peer support and sleep hygiene. Chief Hamilton has deployed on multiple occasions to assist Fire Departments after major disasters. 

Dennis Hemphill 
Senior Vice President/Chief Security, Safety, Executive Protection and Emergency Management
CommonSpirit Health
Dennis Hemphill is the SVP/Chief of Security, Safety, Executive Protection, & Emergency Management at CommonSpirit Health. Dennis started working in health care security in 1998 when he was hired by Advocate Health Care, a Chicago Base Health Care system as the system director of Security and Safety. In 2001 Dennis was hired by CHW, who later became Dignity Health, as Vice President of Security, Safety & Emergency Management. With the alignment of CHI in 2019, he was promoted to SVP. Dennis is a retired law enforcement officer and brings a wealth of knowledge in his role with over 25 years in health care security experience in working towards providing a reasonable, appropriate, safe, and secure environment for all.

Zita Konik, MD, FAEMS 
President-Elect 
Emergency Medical Services Directors’ Association of California 
Zita Konik currently serves as the Medical Director for Alameda County EMS Agency in California, which supports EMS care to 1.8 million people, and previously was the Napa County EMS Medical Director. She is board certified in both Emergency Medicine and Emergency Medicine services. She currently is the President-elect of the Emergency Medical Services Directors’ Association of California and Vice-President of the California chapter of the National Association of Emergency Physicians.

Sheree Lowe 
Vice President, Policy 
California Hospital Association
Sheree Lowe has been a vice president on CHA’s policy team since 2003. In 2022, she began providing leadership in developing, communicating, and implementing CHA policy related to nursing, emergency services, trauma, and medication safety. Previously she managed the policy interests of Acute Psychiatric Hospitals (APH), behavioral health units in medical/surgical hospitals, and Chemical Dependency Recovery Hospitals (CDRH), providing both in and outpatient mental health and substance use disorder services – commonly referred to as behavioral health.

Alicia Macklin 
Partner 
Hooper, Lundy & Bookman PC 
Ms. Macklin is a trusted advisor to a range of inpatient and outpatient behavioral health care providers, along with hospitals and health systems.  She has counseled many of California’s hospitals on unsettled areas of law, with an emphasis on compliance with the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act (EMTALA). Her work with providers includes advising on licensing and accreditation, Medicare and Medi-Cal reimbursement, federal and state privacy and confidentiality requirements, and operational issues. She also helps California providers navigate voluntary and involuntary treatment under the Lanterman-Petris-Short Act (LPS Act).

Aimee Moulin, M.D. 
Founder, Principal at CA Bridge 
Professor at UC Davis Medical Center, Department of Emergency Medicine 
Dr. Aimee Moulin is an Associate Professor at UC Davis Medical Center where she is the Behavioral Health Director for the Emergency Department. Dr. Moulin has a dual appointment in the Department of Emergency Medicine and Psychiatry. She completed a fellowship in Quality Safety and Comparative Effectiveness with a focus on acute care for patients with behavioral health disorders. She is Co-Director of the California Bridge Project that provides a link for patients with opiate use disorder to recovery. Dr. Moulin is also Past President of the California Chapter of the American College of Emergency Physicians and recipient of their Walter T. Edwards Service Award.

Brandon Shelton 
System Security Director
CommonSpirit Health
Brandon Shelton is the System Security Director for Common Spirit Health, a position he has held since 2013. With over 18 years of experience in health care security, Brandon brings a wealth of knowledge and expertise to his role. His career in health care began in 2006 after retiring from the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation, where he served in the Investigative Services Unit as a Gang Investigator. Brandon’s extensive background in law enforcement and investigations has equipped him with valuable skills in threat assessment, risk management, and ensuring the safety and security of health care facilities and personnel. He is dedicated to implementing robust security strategies and protocols to safeguard patients, staff, and visitors within the health care environment.

RaDonda Vaught
RaDonda Vaught was the subject of one of the highest-profile healthcare criminal cases in recent years. She holds a BSN and a Certificate in Leadership from Western Kentucky University. While working as a BSN prepared registered nurse, Mrs. Vaught committed a medication error that ended the life of a patient in 2017. She was charged under administrative law by the Tennessee Department of Health, leading to the revocation of her nursing license by the Tennessee Board of Nursing in a July 2021 hearing. Additionally, she was charged under criminal law and found guilty by jury trial of two felony charges in March of 2022: Negligent Homicide, and Abuse of an Impaired Adult, with placement on an Elder Abuse registry in the state of Tennessee. Mrs. Vaught is uniquely qualified to speak firsthand on the impact this sentinel event has had on her life and her profession, along with the implications of the legal actions that followed. A passionate advocate for safety and improvement, her story will be one that is not easily forgotten.

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Royal Ambulance Inc. is the Bay Area’s leading provider of emergency medical services with a focus on developing customized solutions to health care system challenges. Royal’s dedicated team of 850+ EMT, Paramedics, Nurses, Dispatchers, and support professionals safely care for over 80,000 patients annually with a fleet of over 120 ambulances. Royal is the largest interfacility and critical care ambulance provider in the entire San Francisco Bay Area.