SAVE THE DATE: 2024 Alabama Health Policy Summit
October 31, 2024
The Club
1 Robert Smith Dr., Birmingham, AL
The Alabama Health Policy Summit (2.0) registration is now open. Our exciting program lineup this year includes discussions of the health care landscape from both federal and state representatives, a review of the current status of health care in the state of Alabama by the Alabama Hospital Association, a policy dialogue on telehealth, ethical considerations and policy implications with artificial intelligence, and more.
We hope that you will join us on October 31, 2024 from 10:00 a.m.-3:30 p.m. at The Club in Birmingham, Alabama (registration begins at 9:30 a.m). The registration fee is $50.00 for general registration and $35.00 for students. Continuing education will be provided.
Networking and Registration
Welcome and Meeting Logistics
Conference Planning Committee
Session 1
Federal and State Legislative Priorities
Bipartisan elected officials from Alabama represent the voice of the people at the federal and state level. Given that we rely upon these elected officials to advocate for Alabamians, we need to hear from our representatives and we need to understand the health care priorities on the horizon that will impact Alabamians. In this session, you will be hearing from both federal and state representatives who will be discussing legislative priorities for health care both now and in the future. Our first speaker will be Congressman Gary Palmer (R), one of our federal officials in the US House of Representatives, as he discusses his view of the federal landscape for health care and the national priorities under discussion. Our second speaker is Senator Robert Stewart (D), one of our state officials in the Alabama Senate. He will discuss the priorities and the landscape for health care from the perspective of the state of Alabama.Bipartisan elected officials from Alabama represent the voice of the people at the federal and state level. Given that we rely upon these elected officials to advocate for Alabamians, we need to hear from our representatives and we need to understand the health care priorities on the horizon that will impact Alabamians. In this session, you will be hearing from both federal and state representatives who will be discussing legislative priorities for health care both now and in the future. Our first speaker will be Congressman Gary Palmer (R), one of our federal officials in the US House of Representatives, as he discusses his view of the federal landscape for health care and the national priorities under discussion. Our second speaker is Senator Robert Stewart (D), one of our state officials in the Alabama Senate. He will discuss the priorities and the landscape for health care from the perspective of the state of Alabama.
Congressman Gary Palmer
Mr. Palmer grew up in the small town of Hackleburg in Northwest Alabama. He now lives in Hoover with is wife, Ann, and represents Alabama’s 6th Congressional District. Mr. Palmer attended the University of Alabama and earned a B.S. in Operations Management. While at the University of Alabama he was a walk-on member of the football team under Coach Paul ‘Bear’ Bryant. After graduation, he worked with two major international engineering and construction companies, before involvement with Focus on the Family led him to start the Alabama Family Alliance which became the Alabama Policy Institute. Palmer served as President of the Alabama Policy Institute for 24 years. In 2014, he was elected to the 114th Congress. Mr. Palmer serves as Chairman of the House Republican Policy Committee (RPC) and is a member of the House Republican Leadership team. He is currently serving his third term in this elected leadership position. In addition, he also serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee and the House Oversight and Accountability Committee.
Congressman Gary Palmer
Keynote Speaker
Topic: Federal Legislative Priorities for Healthcare
State Senator Robert Stewart
Robert L. Stewart is a native of the historic Selma, Alabama. He was awarded a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting from Tuskegee University in May 2012. In July 2016, he earned a Master of Accounting Degree from Kennesaw State University. He had a wide range of accounting experience in the government, corporate (Fortune 500), and public accounting firm sectors. Additionally, he worked as a congressional staffer and tax policy lobbyist for a Washington DC think tank. He is engaged in the community by serving as a board member of Christian Services for Children of Alabama, All Abroad Inc., Steward Board of Shaw Temple AME Zion Church, Tuskegee National Alumni Association, Alabama INROADS Advisory Board, Urban League Young Professionals, Charter Member of 100 Black Men of America, Inc. (Selma Chapter), and life member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc. He was honored by the UNCF as the 2019 Outstanding Young Alumni of the Year for Tuskegee University. Additionally, he is a 2019 graduate of the Congressional Black Caucus Institute Boot Camp (which is based in Washington D.C. and trains emerging leaders for public service). Stewart was elected to the Alabama State Senate in November 2022 and has the distinction of currently being the youngest State Senator. He serves as the Vice Chairman of the Senate Minority Caucus and currently serves on the following committees in the senate: Finance & Taxation General Fund, Tourism, Agriculture, Conservation & Forestry, Health, Children & Youth Health, State Governmental Affairs, and Transportation & Energy. He was named 2023-24 Legislator of the Year by the Alabama NAACP. He serves as Vice President and Chief Budget Officer at Talladega College. Robert enjoys spending time with family, traveling, and volunteering. Senator Stewart is married to Mrs. Ashley Stewart.
State Senator Robert Stewart
Topic: State Legislative Priorities for Healthcare
Session 2
Status Update from the Alabama Hospital Association
The Alabama Hospital Association (AlaHA) is a statewide trade organization that assists member hospitals in effectively serving the healthcare needs of Alabama, through advocacy, representation, education and service. In this session, you will be hearing from AlaHA leadership about the successes and challenges for health care systems in the state of Alabama and the needs for health care policy development.
Dr. Don Williamson, MD
CEO Alabama Hospital Association
Dr. Don Williamson began his career in the Alabama Department of Public Health in 1986 and was appointed State Health Officer in 1992. Dr. Williamson has overseen the quality and safety of Alabama’s healthcare system, food safety and other health services that impact all Alabamians. During his 23 years as Alabama’s public health leader, he has supervised Alabama’s responses to medical threats like influenza epidemics, natural disasters like hurricane Katrina, man-made disasters like the BP oil spill as well as evolving threats such as bioterrorism. He successfully managed a massive state and federal budget, attracted and retained a highly qualified staff. At the national level Dr. Williamson was elected President of the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials. Dr. Williamson’s public service has extended beyond the Alabama Department of Public Health.
In 2014, he organized and led both the Alabama Medicaid Advisory Commission and the Alabama Health Care Improvement Task Force to help Alabama respond to the Affordable Care Act and many other national policy changes that impact Alabama’s health care systems. His accomplishments were acknowledged by the American Medical Association when he was awarded the Nathan Davis Award that identifies one leader at the national level for state healthcare leadership. Following his retirement in 2016, Dr. Williamson was chosen to lead the Alabama Hospital Association as President and CEO.
Dr. Don Williamson, MD
CEO
Alabama Hospital Association
Topic: The Alabama Healthcare System
Session 3
Policy Dialogue on Telehealth
Engaging in policy discussion is important to understanding and implementing the best solutions for health care. Based upon feedback from the 2023 summit, participants requested more opportunity to engage in policy dialogue. In this session, we will be exploring telehealth and telehealth policy. Telehealth use increased exponentially during the pandemic and has become a staple for many patients who need access to specialty service such as psychiatric care. However, federal appropriations for telehealth have not been finalized as of the time of the summit planning, and state appropriations follow federal appropriations. We will be hearing from experts, a physician and nurse practitioner (NP) who utilize telehealth in their practices who will explore the necessity of telehealth in expanding access to care in rural areas. These speakers will be followed by experts and leaders from industry who will explore the need for reimbursement and coverage of telehealth services, as employers and the insurance industry. We will also hear from Alabama Medicaid leadership as they discuss the current and future of telehealth for Medicaid recipients in the state.
Elizabeth Huckabee
Director Dental, EPSDT, and Physicians Division
Alabama Medicaid Agency
Latonda Cunningham
Associate Director
State of Alabama Personnel Department
Rachel Sasser, MSN, CRNP, PMHNP-BC
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Bessemer VA CBOC (Thurs) / Childersburg VA CBOC (Fri)
Veterans CAN! Co-Director
Rachel Sasser, MSN, CRNP, PMHNP-BC is a board-certified psychiatric-mental health nurse practitioner. She serves as an instructor at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing and specializes in veterans’ and military mental health. After earning her BSN from Auburn University Montgomery, she completed an internship at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center to write national competency standards for nursing students on caring for veterans. She received her MSN and is currently working on her DNP from UAB, with an anticipated graduation of December 2024. She completed a post-masters PMHNP residency at the Birmingham VA, where she maintains a faculty practice two days a week. In addition, Mrs. Sasser has served in the U.S. Air Force Reserve at Maxwell AFB since 2016. She has given multiple local and national presentations and is an active member of the American Psychiatric Nurses Association. She has published about women veterans’ mental health, and her DNP work is focused on the treatment of opioid use disorder. She is an active volunteer with the Central Alabama Veterans Collaborative, serving as a mental health consultant.
Rachel Sasser
MSN, CRNP, PMHNP-BC
Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
Bessemer VA CBOC (Thurs) / Childersburg VA CBOC (Fri)
Veterans CAN! Co-Director
Wendy Smith
Senior Vice President Strategy, Client Success, and Got to Market Strategy
World Class Health
Terry Knight
Chief Development Officer
VIVA Health
Dr. Eric Wallace, MD
Professor of Medicine
UAB eMedicine, Medical Director
Co-Director of Home Dialysis
Director Rare Genetic
Kidney Disease Clinic
Session 4
Emerging Trends
In this session, we will explore emerging trends and issues that are relevant to health care in the state of Alabama including Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Maternal/Child Health.
Dr. Christy Lemak, PhD
Professor, UAB School of Health Professions
Christy Harris Lemak is Professor in the Department of Health Services Administration in the School of Health Professions at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She also serves as Deputy Director of the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation in the University of Alabama Heersink School of Medicine.
Dr. Lemak teaches and researches leadership and high performance in health care. Under her leadership, UAB developed several programs to support women and under-represented populations to become health care leaders. Her current research examines the role of senior leadership teams to accelerate health care’s digital transformation.
Dr. Lemak also serves as Executive Vice President, Learning & Research at the non-profit Scottsdale Institute. She serves on the boards of Community Hospital Corporation (Plano, TX) and the Alabama Healthcare Hall of Fame. She received the 2022 Filerman Prize for Educational Leadership from the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA).
Dr. Lemak previously held faculty and leadership positions at the University of Michigan and the University of Florida. She received a PhD from the University of Michigan, MHA and MBA degrees from the University of Missouri and a BS in Health Planning & Administration from the University of Illinois-Urbana.
A native of Buffalo, Illinois (population 450), Christy and her husband, Mark Lemak reside in Homewood, AL and enjoy traveling – especially to visit their adult children in New York City and Chicago.
Dr. Christy Lemak, PhD
Professor
UAB School of Health Professions
Dr. Wes Stubblefield
Alabama Department of Public Health
District Medical Officer, Northern/Northeastern Districts
Dr. Wes Stubblefield
District Medical Officer
Northern/Northeastern Districts
Alabama Department of Public Health
Location
The Club
1 Robert S Smith Dr.
Birmingham, AL 35209
(205) 323-5821
Thank You to Our Summit Sponsors!
