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Looking Forward to 2023 Annual Primary Care Conference
CHAMPS Awards
Highlights from the 2022 Annual Primary Care Conference
2023 ANNUAL PRIMARY CARE CONFERENCE
The 2023 Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA)/CHAMPS Annual Primary Care Conference will take place from October 21-24, 2023 in Seattle, WA. This multi-day event addresses the needs of Region 18 (Regions VIII and X) Community Health Center staff and includes networking events, educational sessions, prominent keynote speakers, and exhibiting/sponsorship opportunities. More information will be posted as it is available.
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Call for Abstracts
Registration
Hotel
CHAMPS and NWRPCA are now accepting abstract applications for consideration to present during a 75-minute educational session at the 2023 NWRPCA/CHAMPS Fall Primary Care Conference. A strong abstract will address current programs, practices, and/or policies related to Community Health Centers and Primary Care while also creatively connecting and engaging with participants. We are accepting applications for the following session tracks:
- Board Governance
- Clinical
- Financial
- Healthy Communities
- Human Resources & Workforce
- Hot Topics
- Leadership
- Operations
- Policy
To review a list of possible abstract topics for each track, please click HERE.
To create an account in the NEW abstract portal and review full details on how to complete your submission, please click HERE.
Abstract submissions are due no later than Tuesday, June 20, 2023.
All participants must register in advance. More details and the link to register will be coming soon.
The 2023 NWRPCA/CHAMPS Fall Primary Care Conference will be held at a hotel in downtown Seattle, WA. Details regarding the conference hotel, including instructions for booking a discounted room, will be shared with registrants in their conference registration confirmation package.
CHAMPS AWARDS
Each year, CHAMPS presents awards to staff and board members of Region VIII Health Centers and related organizations to recognize exceptional contributions to the health center community. Over the years this process has allowed CHAMPS to honor numerous highly deserving individuals from across the region for their outstanding advocacy, leadership, and dedication to the health center mission. Please visit the CHAMPS Awards webpage for more information about each year’s Call for Nominations and Awards Ceremony, details about the most current CHAMPS Awardees, and lists of awardees from prior years.
HIGHLIGHTS FROM THE 2022 ANNUAL PRIMARY CARE CONFERENCE
CHAMPS and Northwest Regional Primary Care Association (NWRPCA) welcomed members, exhibitors, partners, and presenters from across Region 18 and the nation at the Annual Primary Care Conference, held October 15-18, 2022 at the at the Westin Denver Downtown in Denver, CO. Participants enjoyed formal and informal networking and educational opportunities with clinicians, board members, and administrative staff from health centers, Primary Care Associations, governmental offices, and related organizations in Region VIII (Colorado, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Utah, and Wyoming) and Region X (Alaska, Idaho, Oregon, and Washington), and across the country. The conference was offered in a hybrid format, with attendees able engage both in person and virtually.
The 2022 conference theme, The Power of Together, celebrated the 25th anniversary of this conference partnership between CHAMPS and NWRPCA. Over the past two and a half decades, this collaboration has enabled the health centers of Region VIII and Region X (“Region 18”) to come together with peers and colleagues, learning and growing from experts and each other.
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Plenary Sessions
Educational & Networking Sessions
Session & Event Handouts & Recordings
Other Conference Highlights
Photo Memories
Continuing Education
Reimbursement Opportunities
At the Opening Plenary on Saturday afternoon, conference participants enjoyed HHS, BPHC, and NACHC Updates focusing on the current policy and healthcare environment. Speakers included:
- Lily Griego, Region 8 Regional Director, Department of Health and Human Services
- Jim Macrae, Associate Administrator, Bureau of Primary Health Care
- Rachel Gonzales-Hanson, Interim CEO, National Association of Community Health Centers
At the CHAMPS/NWRPCA Fall Conference 25th Anniversary Plenary Luncheon on Monday afternoon, conference participants enjoyed a conversation focused on caring for others, keeping up the great work that has been seen from health centers in Regions VIII and X over the years and the importance of laughter. To celebrate the 25th anniversary of the CHAMPS and NWRPCA partnership, the luncheon included a slide show of Region 18 conferences over the years.
The featured speaker was:
- Nurse Nancy Norton, Standup Comedian
EDUCATIONAL & NETWORKING SESSIONS
The conference offered attendees a broad range of educational and networking sessions organized around the following tracking: Clinical & Care Innovations, Fiscal Optimization, Governance Essentials, Healthy Communities, Hot Topics, HR/Workforce, Leadership, Operational Excellence, and Policy. More than 70 sessions, both virtual and in person, roundtable lunches, and plenary sessions provided rich opportunities to learn from clinicians, administrators, and board members in Regions VIII and X, and from other regional and national consultants and partners. Continuing Education credit hours were offered for physicians, nurses, accountants, human resources professionals, social workers, and board members.
The conference featured diverse tracks of educational sessions, including:
Two days of energizing Clinical & Care Innovations sessions:
- Thriving Through Compassion Fatigue & Burn Out
- Historical Trauma & The Two-Spirit Identity
- Multidisciplinary Pain Management within an FQHC
- Un-Silo Opioid Use Disorder Treatment to Improve Health Outcomes
- Improvement in Sight: Utah’s Diabetes Retinal Screening Journey
- Improving Cancer Screening Rates During a Pandemic
- Documenting Success: Southcentral Foundation’s Integrated Care Teams Playbook
- Engaging Every Team: Investing in a Culture of Quality Improvement
- Building Bridges in Care: Structure, Form, & Function
- How to Eat an Elephant: Making Quality Improvement Digestible
Three days of educational Fiscal Optimization sessions:
- Salary Survey Learning Session
- Incorporating Capital Development into Strategic Planning
- Mind the GAAP: Accounting & Audit Update
- Value Based Data: Diagnosis Coding Matters, Let’s Get It Right
- Practice the Art of Strategic Business Planning to Achieve Sustainability
- Extending Health Center Services with Medical Respite Care for Patients Who Are Homeless
- Clinical & Financial Benefits Collaborative Care Community Health Centers
- Workforce Benchmarking & Trends: Salary Survey Results from Region 18
Three days of Governance Essentials sessions:
- CHC 101: Introduction to the Community Health Center Movement
- Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging (DEIB) Centered Governance & Leadership
- Creating the Roadmap of the Future: Board’s Role in Strategic Planning
- Future-Proof Your Board: Going from Good to Great
- How Are Your Board’s Vital Signs?
- Becoming a “Rockstar” Board Chair
- Health Center Boards: Program Requirements and Roles and Responsibilities
Three days of enlightening Healthy Communities sessions:
- Housing to Health: Highlights from the Denver SIB/SIPPRA Projects
- Primary Care Providers Obligation to Provide Safe Firearm Storage Guidance
- Transforming the Health System in Collaboration with Formerly Incarcerated Individuals
- Destination Upstream: Moving from Concept to Action
- Health Related Social Needs Innovation at Denver Health
- Increasing Self-Efficacy Among Community Health Workers Supporting Traditionally Underserved Communities
- Health Equity for LGBTQ+ Populations
One day of relevant Hot Topics sessions:
- UDS Modernization Initiative
- Monkeypox 2022
Three days of transformative HR/Workforce sessions:
- Leveraging Culture & Employee Wellness to Retain Staff
- Start Here: First Steps to Implement a Workforce Development Program
- Grow Our Own: Partnership for Equity in Health Careers
- Integrating Community Health Workers into Team-Based Care
- Stepping Back from the “Culture of Busy”
- Creating Connection in Virtual Spaces: Telementoring for Rural Health
- Advancing Your Health Center through Trauma Informed Care
- Using a Career Ladder to Train & Advance Workforce
Three days of instructive Leadership sessions:
- The Leadership Challenge of Our Lifetime
- Combating Implicit & Unconscious Bias Toward LGBTQIA+ People
- Leader as Coach: Cultivating a Coaching Mindset
- Change Management: Lean in to WIN
- Creating Positive Reactions to Changes in the Workplace
Three days of essential Operational Excellence sessions:
- Northland Health Centers Care Team Incentive Program
- Protecting Your Health Center Today: Cybersecurity & Privacy Updates
- Create a Compliant 340B Drug Pricing Program
- A Bias-free, Patient-centric Approach to Reducing Unintended Pregnancy
- Solar Powered Healthcare: Considering Microgrids for Resilience & Cost-Savings
One day of essential Policy sessions:
- Super Session: Mid-Term Election & Advocacy
- Emerging Federal Policy Landscape & the Health Center Program: Why Your Voice Matters!
- State of the States: Advancing Policies that Promote Health
The conference also offered a variety of opportunities for attendees to connect with one another.
The Community section of the conference’s online Whova platform promoted networking by allowing attendees to ask questions of one another on topics including upcoming conferences, COVID-19 vaccine mandates, how to improve the patient experience, and much more. Hundreds of messages and connections were formed between attendees throughout the conference.
Roundtable Lunches were held on Sunday, October 16, for Chief Executive Officers, those interested in Health Professions Education and Training (HP-ET), and attendees of the Clinical & Care Innovations, Fiscal Optimization, Governance Essentials, HR/Workforce, and Operational Excellence tracks. These gave conference participants the opportunity to collaborate with other experts in their fields.
The Welcome Reception on Saturday, October 15 allowed attendees to introduce themselves to new faces as well as engage with those they may have not seen in person since the start of COVID. It was a joyous time as everyone was excited to meet in person.
The Networking Reception & Raffle with Exhibitors on Monday, October 17 was one of the final events during the conference. Attendees reengaged with exhibitors and entered raffles to win prizes. The reception and raffle were seen as a celebration of the success of the conference before the last day of sessions.
SESSION & EVENT RECORDINGS & HANDOUTS
All 2022 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Fall Primary Care Conference materials related to sessions, including any available handouts, video recordings, etc., are now available in NWRPCA’s Learning Vault. Review the Learning Vault Access Instructions, and contact the NWRPCA Registration Team at registration@nwrpca.org if you have any difficulties.
The Annual Conference is more than educational sessions and plenary speeches! Participants had formal and informal ways to learn about resources, win prizes, and inspire one another via the Whova platform, in person meetings, and networking events. Whova was the central hub for attendees as it provided the agenda, speaker information and handouts, a Community networking section, and much more.
A Lunch & Learn took place on Sunday, October 16 of the conference, sponsored by AHECWW. Attendees learned about the All of Us Program where researchers use data, collected from U.S. citizens, to determine how biology, lifestyle, and environment affect the health of individuals.
Additionally, on Monday, October 17, during a Breakfast & Learn: Adelade, Dr. John Cawley discussed Value Based Care – Thriving in a Community Health Center. Dr. Cawley highlighted the effect the COVID-19 pandemic had on community health centers and the challenges they faced when providing care for patients. He defined value-based care as an opportunity for health centers to be acknowledged for the care they provide as well as on successful patient outcomes.
Please click here to view the 2022 Conference Photo Journal.
In support of health center staff, clinicians, administrators, and board members pursuing professional development, CHAMPS/NWRPCA conferences are a consistent source of continuing education units (CEU). This year we have been approved to provide the following CEU opportunities: continuing medical education (CME), continuing nursing education (CNE), continuing professional education (CPE), human resources (HR), and continuing social work and counseling education (NASW). Within two months of the completion of the conference, any attendee that indicated during registration that they would like CEUs for the sessions they attended will be sent access instructions. Please contact registration@nwrpca.org if you have not received your access instructions within two months post-conference. Please contact the CHAMPS Clinical and Quality Improvement Director if you have any questions regarding CEUs.
2022 CHAMPS/NWRPCA Fall Primary Care Conference Registration Reimbursement is available to CHAMPS Organizational Member CHCs in good standing as of October 14, 2022. Each CHAMPS Organizational Member CHC is entitled to reimbursement for one registration fee. CHC staff who are eligible for the administrative registration reimbursement include line staff, medical support staff, and mid-level managers and supervisors; providers and Executive Directors/CEOs are not eligible. The request form must be completed by December 15, 2022 and only one form per member organization will be accepted.
Please click here to download the Registration Reimbursement Request form.
Region VIII clinicians are able to apply for Clinical Travel Support Reimbursement. Those eligible include clinicians working 0.50 FTE or greater as providers (medical, behavioral, or dental) in a CHAMPS Organizational Member CHC in good standing as of October 14, 2022 or a member of the Mountain/Plains Clinical Network (MPCN) Steering Committee. MPCN Steering Committee members may receive an additional $100 reimbursement with participation on the committee prior to the Fall Conference and attendance at the Fall Conference Steering Committee Meeting. The total value available for travel support is $700 (or $800 for members of the MPCN Steering Committee). The request form must be completed by December 15, 2022 with all original/legible receipts and mileage map included in order for the payment to be processed.
Please click here to download the Clinical Travel Reimbursement Request form.