Minnesota Community Health Worker Alliance 2014 Statewide Conference
Partnering for Health Equity: Progress, Practice and Policy
ASL interpreting provided
Bringing together CHWs, Certified Navigators & Outreach Workers, their employers and
other stakeholders interested in healthier communities for a day of learning, networking
and partnership-building to advance health equity including health access
June 5, 2014 from 7:30 a. m. – 4:30 p.m.
The Commons Hotel, 615 Washington Avenue SE, Minneapolis, MN 55414
www.commonshotel.com
To register, visit:
http://www.mpha.net/Default.aspx?pageId=1242643&eventId=885037&EventViewMod
e=EventDetails
Overview
Our one-day statewide conference, held in conjunction with the Minnesota Public Health
Association (MPHA) Annual Conference, will build our knowledge, capacity and
momentum to work together to achieve healthier communities for all. We’ll share lessons
and best practices to help achieve health equity and improve health access through the
engagement of community health workers including community health representatives,
promotoras, certified navigators and outreach workers.
Our MPHA partnership means that Alliance and MPHA conference registrants will
participate in a joint opening plenary on the morning of June 5th and also be able to
attend breakouts from either conference planned for that half-day. Our Alliance
conference will continue into the afternoon with a buffet luncheon, plenary program, and
breakouts. We will close with an awards ceremony and call to action.
Conference Objectives
1. Recognize how the work of CHWs and navigators helps advance health equity
including access to affordable coverage
2. Understand major federal and state health reform policies and their potential impact on
the outlook for CHW and navigator roles
3. Identify best practices, lessons learned and financing options by programs that engage
CHW and outreach and enrollment services
4. Describe CHW education, employer types and career pathways
5. Identify research and success factors for next-stage work.
Conference Location and Parking…The Commons Hotel, Minneapolis
The conference will be held at The Commons Hotel at 615 Washington Avenue SE in
Minneapolis on the East Bank campus of the University of Minnesota. For directions,
call the hotel at 612-379-888 or visit: http://www.commonshotel.com/directions.aspx
Parking may be found in the adjacent Washington Avenue parking ramp @$2.50 per
hour with a maximum of $12/day and at other nearby parking ramps and lots with lower
daily rates. The hotel may also be reached by public transportation and bicycle. See the
following link for University of Minnesota East Bank campus map for visitor parking
options: http://www1.umn.edu/pts/maps/Library/pdf/EBank.pdf
Accomodations
For hotel reservations, please contact The Commons Hotel directly at 612-379-8888 or
toll-free at 1-800-822-6757. Cancellation of a room reservation is your responsibility.
Please review the hotel’s cancellation policy prior to making a reservation.
How to Register
Registration is required and is separate from registration for the MPHA Annual
Conference.
Rates are: CHWs/navigators: $50; CHW students and full-time students in degree
programs: $50; stakeholders: $100 and luncheon/afternoon-only: $50. Registration
includes the program, meals and materials.
Register and pay online at:
http://www.mpha.net/Default.aspx?pageId=1242643&eventId=885037&EventViewMod
e=EventDetails
Online registration features immediate confirmation of your registration via email and
follow-up reminders from the Minnesota Public Health Association which is serving as
our conference registrar. Credit card payment is required for online registration.
Pre-registration ends on May 28. Please email any questions to Joan Cleary at the MN
CHW Alliance at joanlcleary@gmail.com.
Cancellation Policy: Due to heavily discounted rates and the short time horizon for our
conference, we regret that we are unable to refund registration fees.
Continuing Education Credits
Continuing education units, contact hours and recertification credits are available through
the University of Minnesota School of Public Health. Please contact Maggie Truax by
email at truax031@umn.edu if you have questions or are interested in receiving a
certificate.
Program Schedule
7:30-8:15 a.m.
Registration and Continental Breakfast
8:15-8:30 a.m.
Opening Introductions and Welcome
8:30-9:30 a.m.
Plenary Session: Advancing Health Equity in Minnesota
Melanie Peterson Hickey, Interim Director
Center for Health Equity, Minnesota Department of Health (MDH)
This session will provide a brief overview of the new Center for Health Equity. The new
Interim Director will describe the Center and its work overseeing the implementation of
the recommendations of the MDH report “Advancing Health Equity in Minnesota.” She
will identify the team, next steps and how people can be involved with the Center’s work.
Learning Objectives:
-Provide brief overview of the Advancing Health Equity in MN Report: What creates
health?
-What needs transformation to assure Health Equity?
-Describe status of implementing Center for Health Equity and recommendations from
the report (Team of MDH program areas that are part of the Center, etc).
-Identify next steps and how people can be involved.
9:30-9:45 a.m.
Break
9:45-10:45 a.m
Concurrent Sessions
Race, Racism and Medicine
Stephen Nelson, MD, Director, Hemoglobinopathy Program; Co-Director, Vascular
Anomalies Clinic, Children's Hospitals;Adjunct Assistant Professor, Department of
Pediatrics, University of Minnesota Children’s Hospital
Many factors play a role in racial health care disparities. These will be addressed with an
emphasis on racism and health provider bias.
Learning Objectives:
-Recognize race as an independent factor in health equity
-Understand the factors that influence racial health care
disparities
-Begin to understand and have conversations about how
unconscious bias affects health care delivery
-Formulate an action plan to reduce racial health care
disparities
Cultural Groups and Health
Niccu Tafarrodi
Alvine Siaka
This session will discuss strategies for engaging immigrant and refugee populations in
linguistically and culturally-appropriate health education and strategies for engaging
cultural communities in creating a community voice to impact health.
Accountable Communities for Health
Renee S. Frauendienst, Public Health Division Director/CHS Administrator, Stearns
County Human Services
Elizabeth Auch, Administrator/DON, Countryside Public Health
Marie Maes-Voreis, Director Health Care Homes, State of Minnesota
This session will provide an overview and update on Accountable Communities for
Health through the Minnesota Accountable Health Model and share perspectives of
public health partnering for public health improvement. This session will discuss MPHA
recommendations on the role of public health and community engagement, a vision for
what we hope will come out of ACH/SIM funded projects but also how we can help
support ACH approach in other ways outside of the SIM grant.
Learning Objectives:
-Describe overview, updates and vision for outcomes of ACH
-Discuss recommendations for role of public health and community engagement in ACH
approach
CHW Field Basics I: CHW Scope of Practice & Statewide Curriculum
Anne Ganey, MPH, BS, Faculty, CHW Certifcate Program, South Central College
Julie Mumm, MBA, CLS(ASCP)CM , Program Coordinator, CHW Certificate Program,
St. Catherine University
Minnesota is recognized as one of the nation’s leading states for CHW field development
with a defined scope of practice and a statewide standardized, competency-based CHW
curriculum based in higher education. This session will focus on the CHW role, its
contributions to addressing health equity and the Triple Aim, as well as core
competencies and the content of our state’s CHW curriculum which leads to a certificate
recognized by the Minnesota Department of Human Services and the Centers for
Medicare and Medicaid Services.
Learning Objectives:
-List the courses in the CHW Certificate Program
-Understand how the CHW Core Competencies are interwoven in the curriculum
-Describe how the CHW Certificate programs address health equity and the Triple Aim.
Addressing Healthy Housing Disparities
Rachelle Menanteau Peleska, MPH, Director of Education and Outreach
Sustainable Resources Center, Minneapolis
Healthy housing is a key determinant of health. Substandard and unsafe housing
contributes to asthma, lead poisoning, cancer and injuries with disproportionate burden
on low income communities and people of color. This session will describe healthy
housing and provide best practices for home visitors including community health
workers.
Learning Objectives:
-Define the seven principles of healthy housing
-Learn recommended practices for keeping a healthy home
Navigator Roundtables: Lessons Learned from MNsure Outreach and Enrollment
Sarah Greenfield, Health Care Program Manager, Take Action Minnesota – Facilitator
Over 200,000 individuals have gained health coverage through the roll-out of MNsure
our state’s health insurance exchange. As the face, heart, and hands of MNsure,
outreach workers and certified navigators across Minnesota have played a vital role in
helping members of their communities learn about and enroll in a system with wellpublicized challenges. This interactive session will provide a forum for sharing
experience, best practices and lessons to date. The outcome will be a strong set of
collective reflections and recommendations for future improvements.
Learning Objectives:
-Critique the outreach and enrollment process for the first enrollment period...what
worked, what didn't and why.
-Share best practices for outreach and enrollment
-Build recommendations for how navigators and navigator organizations can improve
future outreach and enrollment efforts for the fall 2014 enrollment period, and
recommendations for what MNsure could do to improve future outreach and enrollment
efforts and navigator infrastructure
11: 00a.m. - 12 Noon
Concurrent Sessions
Accessing Primary Care: Partnership Success Story
Zahra Abdalla, CHW, Wellshare International
Jeri Peters, RN, BNS, PHN, VP, Chief Nursing Officer, UCare
This case study will focus on a successful CHW intervention developed and evaluated in
partnership by UCare and WellShare International with an emphasis on redirecting
preventable emergency department use by Somali immigrants.
Learning Objectives:
-Show how using Community Health Workers can improve health of community.
-Describe the work of a partnership between community agencies and communitities and
the innovative model of care suing CHWs.
-Present outcome data showing how the CHW initiative improves access, changes
utilization of services and reduces costs.
-Provide hands on examples and stories of the work of a CHW in the field.
Next Up: Helping Consumers Confirm and Understand How to Use Their Health
Coverage
Leigh Grauman, Training and Policy Implementation Manager, Portico Healthnet
Gaining access to health coverage is critical but only part of the solution. What’s also
key is knowing how to use that coverage to appropriately access care and stay healthy.
This session is designed to help navigators educate enrollees on using their health
benefits, accessing primary care and building their capacity for better health.
Learning Objectives:
-Step One: Confirm your client’s coverage in their determined program.
-Understand what's most important about accessing and using health coverage and why
-Discuss effective approaches for educating enrollees on how to use their health benefits
and access care
-Learn about culturally-appropriate messages and resources
Health Care Home Spotlight: Early Lessons and Results from CHW Integration
Jean M. Gunderson, DNP, RN, Community Engagement Coordinator
Co-Supervisor of the Community Health Worker (CHW) Pilot,
Mayo Clinic Employee and Community Health (ECH), Rochester, MN
Tara Nelson, CHW Certificate Holder, Intercultural Mutual Assistance Assn, Rochester
Elizabeth Rogers, MD, MAS; University of Minnesota School of Medicine, Divisions of
General Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Applied Clinical Research Program; CUHCC
Clinic
Integration of CHW internships and programming within Health Care Home
infrastructure and secondary community based partner sites, offer promising and holistic
patient centered outcomes impacting health. The development of transdisciplinary teambased care within a community-based, co-supervisory CHW model integrating home
visits, community-based partner sites, and primary care, is essential in promoting health
equity. The description of the infrastructure, teams, tools, and processes promoting both
patient and team capacities, as the community contexts and patient priorities defining
health and resiliency, will be highlighted by Mayo Health System, one of five statecertified health care homes known to incorporate CHWs on their teams.
Learning Objectives:
-Describe the building of teams integrating CHWs in a certified Health Care Home
-Review the collaborative infrastructure and funding aligning CHW capacities promoting
community health
-Examine the community based co-supervisory CHW model integrating patient centered
team based care
-Illustrate the impact of CHW home visits on the understanding of the patient experience,
through descriptions of goal setting, self-management, and acts of resiliency
CHW Field Basics II: Financing Strategies
Will Wilson, Supervisor, Primary Care Financial and Technical Assistance Unit, Office
of Rural Health and Primary Care, Minnesota Department of Health - Facilitator
Steve Masson, Benefits Program Manager, Minnesota Department of Human Services
Marie Timmerman, Health Care Policy Director, Minnesota Department of Human
Services
Sustainable financing is needed to extend the reach and benefits of CHW strategies.
Panelists will discuss coverage of CHW services by Minnesota Health Care Programs
(Medical Assistance and PMAP) and under Accountable Care Organization (ACO)
financing models.
CHW Leadership for Health Equity
Jaime Martinez, Director of Community Development, Clearway Minnesota -Facilitator
Anita Buel, CHW Certificate Holder, Minnesota Deaf CHW Project
Akhmiri Sekhr-Ra, Administrative Director and Health Systems Navigator, Certified
Prenatal, Cultural Wellness Center, Minneapolis
Marie Tran, CHW Certificate Holder, Minneapolis Visiting Nurse Association
This session will begin with an overview of community leadership styles and approaches
followed by a panel discussion by CHW leaders who will share their perspectives and
stories on their own leadership and career paths and the role of CHW leadership in
building healthier communities.
12:00 Noon
View exhibits and posters
12:15 p.m. Buffet Lunch Available
12:45-2:00 p.m.
Plenary Program: Panel Discussion with Audience Q &A
Local and Global Perspectives on Community Health Worker Approaches
The benefits of community health worker strategies---a vital component in global public health-are now gaining greater recognition in the United States during this promising era of health
reform. Our distinguished panelists will share their outlook on opportunities and challenges to
advance health equity and access through the role and impact of community health workers
including navigators, promotores(as) and community health
Jennifer Lundblad, CEO, Stratis Health, Facilitator
Alfred Babington-Johnson, President and CEO, Stairstep Foundation
Carol Berg, Public Health and County Manager, UCare
Paurvi Bhatt, Senior Director for Global Health Access,The Medtronic Foundation
Marie Tran, CHW Certificate Holder, MVNA
Pam White, Founder and President, Health Empowerment (HER) Clinic
2:15-3:30 p.m.
Concurrent Sessions
Looking Ahead: Plans & Priorities for MNsure Outreach & Navigation
Jackie Edison, MPP, Navigator Coordinator, MNsure
Christina Wessel, MA, Director of Navigator Relations, MNsure
This session will provide an opportunity for community health workers and navigators to
learn about MNsure’s vision for the navigator program going forward. MNsure staff will
talk about upcoming plans for outreach and enhanced learning opportunities during the
summer and fall, as well as what changes may be coming before the next Open
Enrollment starts in November. Participants will be encouraged to provide their feedback
on how MNsure can use the navigator program to effectively support increasing health
equity in Minnesota.
Learning objectives:
-Understand the role and scope of MNsure’s Navigator program.
-Become informed about MNsure’s outreach efforts and enrollment campaigns for the
summer and fall.
-Become informed about opportunities for community assistance partners to participate in
education and networking during the summer and fall.
-Inform MNsure’s strategies for addressing health disparities in Minnesota
SIM Emerging Professions Integration Initiative
Will Wilson, Supervisor, Primary Care Financial and Technical Assistance Unit, Office
of Rural Health and Primary Care, Minnesota Department of Health
The Minnesota Emerging Professions Integration Grant Program fosters the integration of
emerging professions into the workforce in roles that support the broad goals of
Minnesota’s State Innovation Model (SIM) related to providing coordinated care, across
settings, for complex patients, populations and models of accountable care. This session
will provide information on the Program’s objectives, funding and technical assistance
targeted to Minnesota’s CHW workforce integration.
Policy Roadmap for Health Equity: Outlook and Opportunities
Michael Scandrett, JD, and Emily Zylla, MPH, Minnesota Health Care Safety Net
Coalition staff
The health care system is changing dramatically under federal and state health care
reforms and health system trends related to quality, cost and health status. During this
session, the presenters will provide an update on recent major health policy developments
affecting health equity and disparities and a preview of expected future actions, with
comments on the impact on CHWs.
Learning Objectives:
-Developments related to MNsure, the Affordable Care Act, and the state’s Accountable Health
Model.
-New care delivery and payment models that are emerging such as Integrated Health Partnerships
and Accountable Communities for health, with a focus on projects serving low-income, diverse
and disadvantaged patients.
-Policy developments related to measurement of health care provider quality of care, including
new legislation requiring quality measures to identify and adjust for race, ethnicity, language and
other social determinants of health.
-Efforts to provide health coverage to the remaining low-income uninsured Minnesotans who are
not eligible for state programs or MNsure coverage.
-Roles and opportunities for CHWs as a result of these developments.
Settings for CHW Practice: Roles, Qualifications & Impacts
Donn Vargas, Northpoint Health and Wellness Inc. – Facilitator
Yesenia Bahena-Mata, Minneapolis Public Schools
Roxanne White, NorthPoint Health and Wellness, Inc.
Lou Yang, Community Dental Services
Nationally and in Minnesota, CHWs have successfully helped patients manage chronic
conditions, develop healthier lifestyles, improve maternal and child health, increase rates
of preventive screenings and improve access to and use of health care and social services
through outreach, enrollment and patient education. Panelists from a variety of CHW
employment settings including primary care and oral health will discuss specific CHW
roles, qualifications and contributions to health equity and the Triple Aim.
3:30-3:45 p.m.
Break
3:45-4:30 p.m.
Final Plenary: Awards and Action Steps
We would like to acknowledge and thank our conference sponsors:
American Cancer Society, Midwest Division
Minnesota Department of Health
The Otto Bremer Foundation
Wellshare International
Updated 5/23/2014