Building Partnerships: State Officials and Advocates Working Side by Side on Health Care Reform

Implementation of good health policy, particularly in achieving state goals for health care reform, takes collaboration between consumers and state officials in a way that values differing views, builds trust, and harnesses the strengths and resources of all partners. The sheer number and scale of the tasks that must be accomplished in reform means the resources of each state's people and institutions must be brought into the work. With support from the Public Welfare Foundation, the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) and Community Catalyst have been working to support state officials and the advocate community in eleven southern states engaged in the Southern Health Partners Initiative as they seek to implement health care reform in their states. This webinar will discuss strategies to enhance states’ ability to work together effectively with consumer advocates in promoting systems improvements. The webinar will feature presentations from a state official in Virginia and a consumer advocate in Louisiana on key lessons learned in building mutually beneficial partnerships, and how these partnerships can also advance health care reform implementation.

Speakers:

• Sarabeth Zemel, Program Manager, NASHP
• Catherine Hess, Managing Director for Coverage and Access, NASHP
• Susan Sherry, Deputy Director, Community Catalyst
• Rebecca Mendoza, Director, Maternal and Child Health, Virginia Department of Medical Assistance
• Moriba Karamoko, Director, Louisiana Consumer Health