Annual Conference

Save the Date: November 17-19, 2019

We hope you will make plans to join VAFCC in Harrisonburg, Virginia for our 2019 Annual Conference, the premier educational and networking meeting for Virginia’s free and charitable clinics and their safety net partners and advocates. The event will be held at the Hotel Madison & Shenandoah Valley Conference Center, situated on the edge of the James Madison University and a five minute walk to downtown. 

More information and registration to come later this year. 

Interested in Sponsoring or Exhibiting?

VAFCC’s Annual Conference is your best opportunity to connect with the Commonwealth's senior nonprofit management and healthcare professionals. Sponsorship provides you with the unique opportunity to: 

• Reach decision makers with your message 
• Communicate with leadership in the field 
• Show your commitment to the sector and industry 

Offering the highest level of visibility and brand exposure, sponsorship packages are limited and exhibit placements are awarded on a first‐come, first‐serve basis. Reserve early for best selection. 

If you have questions or would like to discuss sponsorship opportunities including custom packages, please contact Rebecca Butler at 804.340.3434.

To learn more about last year's annual conference, see below.


VAFCC's Annual Conference is the premier educational and networking meeting for Virginia’s free and charitable clinics and their safety net partners and advocates. This year's conference will be geared towards providing professional development and insight on operational and administration topics that will be impacted by impending Medicaid expansion as well as innovative programs and best practices for patient care.

This year's attendees can expect to learn, share, and network with peers from across the Commonwealth. Workshop tracks have been developed to accommodate a variety of attendees:

• Patient Care Track - ideal for clinical staff and volunteers, program directors, etc. 
• Operations Track - ideal for clinic executives and board leadership
• Resource Development Track - ideal for development and communication staff and volunteers
• Expanding Care Track - ideal for clinical and administrative staff and volunteers  

We are anticipating over 200 attendees this year and look forward to seeing you there!

CONFERENCE SCHEDULE

Sunday, October 21st 

2:00-4:00pm: VAFCC Annual Meeting
5:30-6:30pm: Welcome Reception
6:30-9:30pm: 25th Anniversary Celebration & Banquet presented by the Virginia Association of Health Plans featuring:

• Keynote presented by Anthem: Transforming Patient Lives: The Art of Person-Centered Care by Allison Massari - With her perceptive view inside the patient experience, Allison Massari will illuminate the immense value that healthcare teams have upon a patient who is suffering. This dynamic and poignant keynote presentation will offer real solutions to the struggle of how to keep the patient first despite limited time and other practical constraints. By weaving her remarkable journey with potent life-lessons, Allison will highlight the integral nature of patient-centered care and will reignite your passion for healthcare. A sincere and direct approach to navigating adversity, transcending life’s difficulties, and finding ways to be the healer in the room, this rich and deeply moving presentation will provide applicable tools for managing change, adversity, and the everyday challenges of being human. 
• Awards Program: Champions of Health Care - VAFCC will honor individuals and organizations that have made a real difference in Virginia’s health safety net. Join us in recognition of leaders in the community who make a true impact on the health and quality of life in Virginia. Tickets available to just the 25th Anniversary Banquet on Sunday, October 21st in Fairfax, VA. Presented by DentaQuest, Kaiser Permanente, Magellan Complete Care, Medical Society of Virginia, Mutual of America, Rx Outreach, and the Virginia Hospital & Healthcare Association

 

Monday, October 22nd

Breakout Session 1 (9:00-10:15am):

Accessing Medications for Your Patients (Patient Care Track) with NOVA ScriptsCentral, RxPartnership, Virginia Health Care Foundation - Manufacturer prescription assistance programs (PAPs), discount coupons, free samples, central fill pharmacies, low-cost formularies and other methods are the various ways to obtain the medications your patients need, but how do you know which resource to use for different patients? What happens when a medication is no longer available via the PAPs? What will change come January 1, 2019 with Medicaid Expansion? This session will focus on tools, strategies and tactics for how you can successfully navigate the various methods to obtain medications on behalf of your patients as well as the latest information regarding how Medicaid Expansion will impact free clinic patients.

Strategic Planning in a Post-Expansion World (Operations Track) with Pat Young - Medicaid expansion will impact all clinics, but what that impact looks like will be different for every clinic. Preparing for the future is critical. This session will focus on strategic planning for your organization with a focus on identification of community need, service delivery models, collaborations and partnerships, and sustainability and is geared to clinics that are not going to become Medicaid eligible.

Communicating to Your Patients (Resource Development Track) with Angie Settle - Medicaid expansion will provide many current free clinic patients with health insurance coverage, but the enrollment process and transition to a new provider may be overwhelming for many. Furthermore, nuisances like work requirements may further complicate the enrollment process for eligible patients. This session will focus on how you can prepare staff and volunteers for these changes and proactively communicate to current patients about changes as well as strategies for identifying new patients in a post-Medicaid expansion world.

Bridges Out of Poverty: Session One (Expanding Track) with Catherine Pemberton - If you didn’t grow up in poverty, you may be unaware of the “hidden rules” that govern many aspects of life for the poor. People in poverty are often in survival mode, and support systems taken for granted in middle class and wealth are largely nonexistent. Since clinics work with with people from poverty, a deeper understanding of their challenges – and strengths – will helps you partner with them to create opportunities for success. Attendees will gain a uniquely powerful tool designed for social and health services professional, including a focus on t Three Lens Approach, the Mental Model of Poverty, the Five Registers of Language, and the Eight Resources necessary to overcome poverty.

Breakout Session 2 (10:45-12:00pm):

Innovative Therapies to Address Common Disease States (Patient Care Track) with Bradley Free Clinic, Crossover Ministry and Health Brigade - While each clinic is unique in its own way, many of our patients suffer from a list of common diseases states – diabetes, depression, and hypertension. This session will take a deep dive in to three innovative programs from member clinics that are tackling these commonly experienced disease states with astonishing results. Attendees will hear first-hand from their peers on program implementation, patient outcomes, successes, challenges, and have their own questions answered.    

How Free Clinics Can Navigate Change In a Medicaid Expansion State (Operations Track) with Angie Settle presented by Virginia Association of Health Plans - Virginia’s healthcare landscape will change with the expansion of Medicaid, effective January 1, 2019. This session will walk you through the nuts and bolts of expansion from a fellow clinic executive who has experienced it firsthand. Angie Settle of Health Right lead her clinic through major changes when West Virginia expanded Medicaid in 2014 and she’s hear to share what she’s learned. Angie will walk attendees through the decision making process she went through determine becoming  a Medicaid provided was the best direction for her clinic. She’ll then go into detail around the length, costs, and other details associated with the implementing that decision. This session is Ideal for all, clinics that are planning on becoming Medicaid eligible but also for those that are still on the fence and need more information on how to navigate the decision process and better understand full implications of that decision.n, which will provide many Virginians with the opportunity to receive health insurance coverage will also bring about questions regarding if free clinics will still be needed in a post-expansion world.  Communicating with stakeholders about the continued un-met healthcare needs will be key to continued support of free clinics and providing care to the 90,000+ Virginians who will remain uninsured after expansion. This session will focus on proactive communications to your individual donors, major funders, and volunteer medical providers around the continued need, gaps in services and role of free clinics. 

Communicating with Your Supporters (Resource Development) with Cameron McPherson - Medicaid expansion, which will provide many Virginians with the opportunity to receive health insurance coverage will also bring about questions regarding if free clinics will still be needed in a post-expansion world.  Communicating with stakeholders about the continued un-met healthcare needs will be key to continued support of free clinics and providing care to the 150,000 Virginians who will remain uninsured after expansion. This session will focus on proactive communications to your individual donors, major funders, and volunteer medical providers around the continued need, gaps in services and role of free clinics.

Bridges Out of Poverty: Session Two (Expanding Care Track) with Catherine Pemberton - If you didn’t grow up in poverty, you may be unaware of the “hidden rules” that govern many aspects of life for the poor. People in poverty are often in survival mode, and support systems taken for granted in middle class and wealth are largely nonexistent. If your business, agency, or organization works with people from poverty, a deeper understanding of their challenges – and strengths – helps you partner with them to create opportunities for success. Attendees will gain a uniquely powerful tool designed for social and health services professional, focused on the Causes of Poverty, Hidden Rules, Impact of Poverty on Health, and how to bring it all together for your clinic. 

Breakout Session 3 (1:30-2:45pm):

Community Health Workers: Facilitating Access & Improving Outcomes (Patient Care Track) with Institute for Public Health Innovation - The roles and activities of community health workers (CHWs) are tailored to meet the unique needs of the communities they serve. CHWs can promote access to services, provide health education, support care delivery, and promote advocacy. Of significance to free clinics, this session will focus on the role CHWs can play in better reaching previously uninsured patients who have yet to access the services offered at their local free clinic. Learn how, when effectively designed and implemented, CHWs can create connections between vulnerable populations and healthcare systems -- helping to determine eligibility and connecting individuals to health care options in a way that is cultural competent and supportive of vulnerable populations.

Security, Privacy & Implications of Medicaid (Operations Track) with Virginia Premier - Billing for services requires compliance with some standards that free clinics have traditionally been exempt from, including HIPAA. Learn how your clinic can increase its compliance, whether it plans on billing for services or not, with meeting industry standards around security, patient privacy,  and more. 

Fundraising in a Post-Medicaid Expansion Environment: Engaging Donors Differently (Resource Development Track) with Alan Hutson - With Medicaid expansion on the horizon, it will be more important than ever to prepare your development plans for a post-expansion environment. Indeed, clinics will need to evaluate their current development activities and communications in order to engage donors in a different way – one that continues to convey community impact and ongoing need. This session will equip you with concrete steps to connect with your donors — both to communicate what the changing landscape means for your clinic, and how to invite them to support your work.

Data, Demographics and Diseases: Informing our System of Care (Expanding Care Track) with Rachel Sposito - Last year, we had a wonderfully interactive session around the need for clinics to be able to collect and report on value statistics. Now, with Medicaid Expansion on the horizon, this is even more important. This year, we will continue this timely discussion and hone in on specific types of data: 1) those that the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services (CMS) will require of those clinics who choose to become Medicaid Providers and 2) Social Determinant/Social Need data. These are both areas that many clinics have expressed a strong desire to be able to experience growth in regardless of their response to Medicaid expansion. Please come ready to engage in thought sharing, networking, and best practice evidence for your organization. 

General Session: Patient Enrollment in a Brave New Medicaid World (3:00-5:00pm) - Speakers: Dr. Jennifer Lee, Director, Department of Medical Assistance Services and Commissioner Duke Storen, Virginia Department of Social Services. Hear directly from the leadership of two state agencies tasked by the state to implement Medicaid expansion. They will share emerging details on what to expect as it relates to the patient enrollment experience. Topics of focus will be broad policy updates, timelines, and how each clinic can participate on the local level to ensure eligible patients receive the benefits. 
 

Tuesday, October 23rd 

Closing Plenary: Health Equity: Improving Care & Reducing Inequity in Clinics (9:00-11:00am) - Speakers: Julie Darnell, PhD and Nicole Lamoureux, CEO, National Association of Free and Charitable Clinics. Using a one-of-a-kind data-set of more than 900 free and charitable clinics that responded to a national census survey administered in 2015-2017, this session will provide a comprehensive picture of our nation's clinics (their operations, capacity, patients, services, staff, volunteers, quality of care, and the impact of the Affordable Care Act) and compare national trends to Virginia. Time will also be devoted to efforts aimed at improving care and reducing health inequality for the millions of vulnerable and socially disadvantaged patients who seek care in free and charitable clinics. These initiatives build on local efforts to improve quality of care in clinics and we'll explore how they can be used to identify benchmarks, secure resources, and form partnerships. 

Registration Options

Conference registration includes all three days of training, networking, conference meals and banquet. All attendees will need to secure their own hotel reservations (details below). Registration and room reservation deadline is October 5.  

• $275 Members-Only Early Bird Registration (Through August 31)
• $300 Members-Only Standard Registration (After August 31)
• $325 Non-Member Standard Registration
• $190 Meals-Only Registration (for guests of conference attendees)
• $75 for Anniversary Banquet only (evening of October 21)

Group Incentive Rate: In recognition of our 25th year of service and in the hopes of having as many of you join us as possible to celebrate it, VAFCC will be offering $25 off of each registration when registering three or more attendees (must be ordered together). Group incentive rate applies to both early bird and standard registrations.  

Additional Details: All registrations must be paid in full and in advance. Scholarships are available for members in good standing (please visit the Member Center on the VAFCC website). The cut-off date for registration is Monday, October 5, 2018. Refunds will be issued through September 15, 2018 with a $15 service charge per registration. After that date, no refunds will be issued, but you may substitute attendees.

Crowd Release: By registering for this event and by your presence, you consent to be photographed, filmed, and/or otherwise recorded. Your registration constitutes your consent to such photography, filming, and/or recording and to any use, in any and all media throughout the universe in perpetuity, of your appearance, voice, and name for any purpose whatsoever in connection with VAFCC events.
 

Accommodations

All attendees need to secure their own hotel reservations. Our rate at the Fairfax Marriott at Fair Oaks is $99 per night, plus tax, and includes parking and Wi-Fi. The room reservation deadline is October 5, 2018. To book, modify, or cancel your reservation, call the Reservation Line at 888-236-2427 and ask for the VA Association of Free and Charitable Clinics Annual Conference or book online at www.Fairfaxmarriott.com, entering the requested dates of stay and entering the group code, VFCVFCA. Group rate is available for three days pre- and post-event based on availability.
 

Event Sponsors:

Event Exhibitors: