This year’s annual “Putting Care at the Center” conference will have “From partnerships to ecosystems of care” as its focus.

PITTSBURGH, PA, UNITED STATES, July 18, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- With cities around the country facing challenges in providing for the well-being of vulnerable residents with complex health and social needs, leaders from government, healthcare and the social services community will gather in Pittsburgh, October 16-18, to share best practices for building more effective and integrated ecosystems of care.

Sponsored by the Camden Coalition, the leading complex care organization in the country, through its National Center for Complex Health & Social Needs – and co-hosted by UPMC Health Plan, this year’s annual “Putting Care at the Center” conference will have “From partnerships to ecosystems of care” as its focus.

“Our current healthcare and social services systems are fragmented, uncoordinated, and difficult to navigate — and it’s the people who are most in need of their services who fall through the gaps,” said Mark Humowiecki, Senior Director of National Initiatives at the Camden Coalition.

“If you have multiple complex health and social needs — say, homelessness, diabetes, substance use disorder, and hypertension — it can be impossible to figure out how to get help. Many people get caught in cycles of hospitalizations, arrests, and incarceration, without ever getting closer to stability or recovery. This conference will bring together experts in the field of complex care, organizations that are working on the front lines, and people with lived experience to share best practices on how to build effective ecosystems of care that can break these cycles and improve care for everyone.”

“Communities around the country, including the communities we serve, are building new, innovative strategies for improving the health and well-being of individuals with complex health and social needs,” said Dr. James Schuster, Chief Medical Officer, UPMC Health Plan. “This conference is an opportunity for government leaders, healthcare providers, and organizations that comprise our social safety net to come together, share information, learn from each other and begin to build a more seamless ecosystem of care.”

The list of speakers is in formation. Initial confirmed speakers include:

- Pennsylvania Secretary of Human Services Valerie Arkoosh

- Pennsylvania Medicaid Director Sally Kozak

- Dr. David Kelley, Chief Medical Officer, PA Department of Human Services, Office of Medical Assistance Programs

- Erin Dalton, Director of Allegheny County Department of Human Services

- Brendan Harris, President of UPMC for You and State Programs

- Father Paul Abernathy, CEO, Neighborhood Resilience Project

- Luis Ortega, Director, Storytellers for Change

- Brandon Wilson, Senior Director, Health Innovation and Public Health and Equity, Community Catalyst
- Burt Pusch, Member Centered Innovation and Strategy Consultant, The Center to Advance Consumer Partnership (CACP), and National Consumer Scholar alum

- Naomi Williams, PFE Specialist, PFCC Partners, and National Consumer alum

- Pam Dardess, Vice President for Strategic Initiatives and Operations, Institute for Patient and Family-Centered Care (IPFCC)

Among the topics being discussed:

Building bridges: The role of hubs in forging ecosystems of care. Meaningful change can only be achieved when organizations work collectively and intentionally across sectors. This session will feature panelists who will address the structures needed to build a strong ecosystem, what ecosystem governance looks like in practice, and strategies to build trust and navigate the diverse organizational cultures that make up an ecosystem of care.

The power of ecosystems to meet the collective needs of the community. Father Paul Abernathy, CEO of the Neighborhood Resilience Project, will share how his organization works across sectors to meet the needs of his community street by street in the Hill District, an underserved neighborhood in Pittsburgh.

Strengthening data ecosystems for improved clinical and social care. This session will highlight examples of what is possible when thoughtful investments in data-sharing and interoperability drive practice, as well as what organizations stand to lose by working within their own data siloes.

INSPIRE: Building meaningful collaboration with people who have lived experience. INSPIRE (Initiating National Strategies for Partnership, Inclusion, and Real Engagement) is an initiative led by national leaders in community engagement and people with lived experience working together to co-design and implement a national strategy to advance the practice of authentic community engagement in healthcare.

Members of INSPIRE will discuss how organizations can engage people with lived experience to build trust, advance health equity, create cost savings and efficiencies, and create healthy and thriving communities.

About Camden Coalition

The Camden Coalition works to improve care for people with complex health and social needs in Camden, NJ, and across the country. The organization implements person-centered programs and pilots new models that address chronic illness and social barriers to health and well-being. Supported by a robust data infrastructure, cross-sector convening, and shared learning, its community-based programs improve outcomes for some of society’s most vulnerable individuals. The Camden Coalition’s National Center for Complex Health and Social Needs connects complex care practitioners with each other and with data, tools, and other resources.

For more information or to register for the conference, which will be held at the Wyndham Grand Pittsburgh Downtown, visit www.camdenhealth.org.
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Teri Willard
Camden Coalition
+1 856-381-6333
twillard@camdenhealth.org