June 18, 2013
June 18, 2013 — On June 27, 2013, Acumentra Health will host a special event to help healthcare professionals understand how community health workers and outreach workers, patient navigators, peer wellness specialists, and doulas can help organizations achieve the “Triple Aim”: Better care for individual patients, better health for populations, and lower healthcare costs through improvement. These “traditional health workers” are an emerging force in the U.S. healthcare industry and are helping to bridge linguistic, cultural, and service gaps for patients, communities, and professional healthcare providers. They are also playing an important role in transforming Oregon’s healthcare delivery within the framework of Coordinated Care Organizations (CCOs). As healthcare providers in various settings begin to coordinate to deliver patient-centered care, traditional health workers are expected to help patients navigate CCO systems and take charge of their own health, and to help providers deliver better healthcare outcomes while controlling costs. The event will feature more than 20 guest speakers, including keynote speaker Tina Castañares, MD, chair of the board of directors of the Northwest Health Foundation. Panelists will discuss current program models across Oregon in which traditional health workers are teaming with providers to coordinate care, integrate mental and physical health services, reduce adverse drug events, and improve chronic disease management. Carol Cheney with the Oregon Health Authority’s Office of Equity and Inclusion will speak about OHA’s role in advancing and certifying this workforce. What: Bridging Communication Gaps in Healthcare Transformation: The Role of Traditional When: Thursday, June 27, 2013, 8am to 4:30pm Who: Traditional health workers, medical providers, health plans, healthcare advocates, educators, healthcare reporters, Acumentra Health staff. Where: World Forestry Center – 4033 SW Canyon Road, Portland, OR, 97221 Registration: Registration is closed. Media are welcome to attend. Please contact jcoleman@gardcommunications or 503-552-5003 for more info.
