The Young Professionals Leadership Exchange (YPLE) is gearing up for the 2018 Community Health Institute (informally known as C-H-I or CHI (pronounced like chai tea)), beginning this weekend in Orlando. This year’s CHI will once again feature a Young Professionals track, which will kick-off with the YPLE Reception on Sunday, August 26th from 6:30 to 8:30 pm in Celebration 2 at the Hyatt Regency Orlando. If I do say so myself, we’ve planned a great selection of sessions that highlight emerging topics in the current environment.
Here’s what you can expect:
On Monday, August 27, we are starting off with a tried and true favorite, the “Bring Your Passion” session. This networking session gives young professionals the opportunity to hear the personal experiences of seasoned leaders and exchange thoughts about the future of health centers and the role young professionals will play. Our speakers are some of the most passionate and impressive leaders in the Health Center Movement. If you attend this session, you will have the opportunity to hear how they landed in their leadership roles, learn some tips and tricks, and, most importantly, ask questions in an informal setting with peers and colleagues from around the country.
Health centers have some of the most diverse staff and patient demographics — but how do you ensure that everyone is working cohesively and efficiently with your patient population? How do you guarantee each staff member is living up to and contributing to the overall mission of the health center? How do you address the complexity of technology and its role in bringing the health center workforce into the future? Learn answers to these questions and more in “Engaging a Diverse Primary Care Workforce Through Competency-Based Learning and Professional Development for a Joyful Career Journey.”
To close out the first day of education sessions, the YPLE chose a session that highlights a very timely topic in the country: substance use disorder and the opioid epidemic. The opioid epidemic has been the biggest public health crisis in the United States for the past 2 years. With an increasing number of deaths being attributed to overdose, health care and public health organizations are mobilizing to address the epidemic head on. “Race and Substance Use Disorders” will examine past opioid and substance use epidemics in the U.S., with an eye toward ways to address the current opioid epidemic through a racial, ethnic, and socio-economical lens.
On Tuesday, August 28, the YPLE wanted to start off the final day of CHI by highlighting the importance of quality improvement (QI) and operational performance within health centers. Health centers have a long history of engaging in quality improvement strategies (e.g., the Patient Centered Medical Home model), but if you’re new to the field, you might be wondering how you can implement a QI or performance improvement project at your health center. During “You’re Already Halfway There! Leveraging Research Strategies and Partnerships to Improve Quality and Operational Performance,” you will learn how to build a basic research plan and hear case studies from health centers that have successfully completed QI and operational performance projects in various areas.
Primary care is becoming more and more complex with the integration of services such as dental, behavioral health, and other social services. Luckily, health centers have been leading the charge in integrating comprehensive care into the primary care setting for decades. Health centers serving homeless populations face unique challenges and opportunities when providing health care and social services – for example, how do you address the needs of a transient population that struggles with the compounding issues that homelessness introduces into daily life? In the last session of the YP track, attendees will hear from health centers that have excelled at integration that addresses the needs of this sometimes invisible population. Come by and close out your 2018 CHI with “Overcoming Barriers to Care for Homeless Populations: Integrating Primary Care, Behavioral Health, and Social Services.”
We are very excited about the options for this year’s Young Professionals track! Even if you can’t make all of the sessions, please come by the YPLE reception to meet fellow young professionals, health center leaders, and the YPLE group, and to enjoy some light refreshments. Also, be sure to grab your Young Professionals ribbon at the registration desk before they run out!
Hope to see you there!
Learn more about the YPLE on pages 18 and 19 of your conference program!