2023 Policy & Issues Forum

Marriott Marquis
Washington, DC
Conference: March 8-11
Committee Meetings: March 6-7
HYBRID

2023 Policy & Issues Forum Conference ProgramAddendum

This dynamic gathering draws thousands of Community Health Center professionals and leaders from around the country to focus on critical health care issues and hear from thought leaders and top health care officials in Washington. Health center advocates will also descend on the halls of Congress to fight for long-term and stable funding in the new decade. They bring with them a long history of bipartisan support based on significant achievement as the largest primary health care network in the U.S., now serving 30 million people nationwide.

General Session Speakers Announced!

PGS1 – Opening General Session
Wednesday, March 8
1:00pm – 3:00pm

Lathran J. Woodard, Immediate Past Chair, NACHC, Master of Ceremonies

Welcome and Chair of the Board Remarks


Michael A. Holmes
Chair of the Board, NACHC


Interim President and CEO Remarks


Rachel Gonzales-Hanson
Interim President and CEO, NACHC

Federal Update


James Macrae, MA, MPP
Associate Administrator, Bureau of Primary Health Care
Health Resources and Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

As head of the Bureau of Primary Health Care (BPHC), Macrae manages a $5.7 billion budget that supports nearly 1,400 health centers which operate approximately 14,000 service delivery sites in every U.S. state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and the Pacific Basin. Serving more than 30 million people nationwide, these centers provide cost-effective, comprehensive, and patient-centered care, coordinating a wide range of medical, dental, mental health, substance use disorder, vision, and patient support services.

Macrae also served as Acting Administrator for the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) from April 2015 to April 2017, where he oversaw more than 90 programs that provide health services to tens of millions of people, including people living with HIV/AIDS, pregnant women, mothers and families, and those otherwise unable to access quality health care.


Luis Padilla, MD, FAAFP
Associate Administrator for Health Workforce and
Director of the National Health Services Corps
Health Resources and Services Administration
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Dr. Padilla was appointed associate administrator for the Bureau of Health Workforce (BHW) in May 2016. BHW aims to better meet the need for a well-trained, well-distributed 21st century workforce by strengthening the health workforce and connecting skilled professional to communities in need. With an annual appropriation of more than $1.65 billion, the bureau administers over 50 workforce programs with a staff of more than 450. He also serves as director of the National Health Service Corps (NHSC), BHW’s largest program, with a field strength of more than 20,000 clinicians nationwide.

Prior to joining BHW, Dr. Padilla was senior health policy advisor to the CEO of Unity Health Care in Washington, DC, a federally qualified health center network with over 100,000 patients. A committed advocate for the underserved, Dr. Padilla is a former NHSC Scholar who completed his service at Unity’s Upper Cardozo Health Center, where he also served as its medical director. He served on the National Advisory Council of the NHSC from 2007 to 2010.


PGS2 –  Closing General Session
Saturday, March 11
10:00am – 12:00pm
Kimberly Chang, MD, Vice-Speaker of the House, NACHC, Master of Ceremonies
Update from the HRSA Administrator

Carole Johnson Administrator, Health Resources and Services Administration, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services

Johnson joined HRSA from the White House COVID-19 Response Team. She previously served as Commissioner of the New Jersey Department of Human Services, leading the state’s largest agency and providing health care and social services to one-in-five New Jerseyans. During her tenure as Commissioner, the Department expanded Medicaid coverage of mental health and substance use disorder services, created new Medicaid benefits to improve maternal health outcomes, and integrated Medicaid into the newly launched state-based Affordable Care Act marketplace. Under Johnson’s leadership, the Department also substantially increased child care rates for the first time in a decade, expanded food assistance benefits, and created an Office of New Americans to support the state’s diverse communities.

Johnson served for more than five years as the Domestic Policy Council public health lead in the Obama White House, working on the Ebola and Zika responses, implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and combatting the opioid epidemic. In addition, she served on Capitol Hill as health staff for the U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging and for members of the U.S. Senate Finance Committee and U.S. House of Representatives Ways and Means Committee.

At the Department of Health and Human Services, Johnson previously managed health care workforce policy issues for HRSA. She also was policy director for the Alliance of Community Health Plans, program officer with the Pew Charitable Trusts health program, and senior government relations manager with the American Heart Association.

She holds a master’s degree in government from the University of Virginia.


A Conversation on the State of American Politics – Appealing to Both Sides in an Increasingly Difficult Environment

Discussion Facilitators:
Rachel Gonzales-Hanson, Interim President and CEO, NACHC
Joe Dunn, Senior Vice President, Public Policy and Research Division, NACHC

Ana Navarro
GOP Strategist and Political Contributor to CNN, Telemundo, Co-Host of ABC’s The View

Ana Navarro is a well-known Republican strategist, political analyst for CNN, CNN en Español, and Telemundo, and co-host of ABC’s The View. She is also a political contributor on ABC’s The View, where she appeared for years as a weekly guest and was named a permanent co-host in 2022. The Miami New Times named her a “Republican power-consultant,” and the Tampa Bay Times called her “a sought-after voice in Republican politics and an adviser for any presidential hopeful,” saying, “with confidants Jeb Bush and Marco Rubio she is poised to play a big role in the GOP response to immigration reform and Hispanic outreach.” Respected on both sides of the aisle for her straight shooting and candor, Navarro frequently appears in the media, sought after by Meet the Press, Bill Maher’s Real Time, Anderson Cooper 360, and The View, to name a few. “Ana speaks the truth, and she is willing to speak the truth to power without reservation…She has the ear of lots of elected officials,” said Republican consultant Brett O’Donnell. She is in touch with the political issues people are talking about, and in presentations, she discusses the latest hot button issues in politics, giving audiences an insider’s view of the upcoming elections and a roadmap for where the country is headed.

Political Expertise. Navarro most recently served as the national Hispanic co-chair for Governor Jon Huntsman’s 2012 campaign and the national co-chair of John McCain’s Hispanic Advisory Council in 2008, where she was also the national surrogate for the McCain 2008 campaign. She has played a role in several federal and state races in Florida. She served on Governor Jeb Bush’s transition team in 1998 and was his first director of immigration policy in the Executive Office of the Governor.

In 2001, she served as ambassador to the United Nation’s Human Rights Commission, devoting much of her energy to condemning human rights abuses in Cuba. In 1999, she worked in the private sector, representing private and public clients on federal issues, particularly related to immigration, trade, and policy affecting Central America. In 1997, she was a special advisor to the government of Nicaragua and was one of the primary advocates for NACARA (Nicaraguan Adjustment and Central American Relief Act).

Education and Immigration. Navarro is a graduate of the University of Miami. In 1993, she obtained her BA in Latin American studies and political science. She obtained a Juris Doctorate in 1997. She was born in Nicaragua, and in 1980, as a result of the Sandinista revolution, she and her family immigrated to the United States.

Bakari Sellers
CNN Political Analyst and Former State Representative from South Carolina

Bakari Sellers made history in 2006 when, at just 22 years old, he defeated a 26-year incumbent State Representative to become the youngest member of the South Carolina state legislature and the youngest African American elected official in the nation. His political career did not stop there. In 2014, Sellers won the Democratic nomination for Lt. Governor in South Carolina, and has also worked for United States Congressman James Clyburn and former Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin. He is widely considered to be a rising star within the Democratic Party and leading voice for his generation.

Sellers was born into an activist family. He has followed in the footsteps of his father, civil rights leader Dr. Cleveland Sellers, in his tireless commitment to public service while championing progressive policies to address issues ranging from education and poverty to preventing domestic violence and childhood obesity. Sellers earned his undergraduate degree from Morehouse College, where he served as student body president, and his law degree from the University of South Carolina.

Sellers is the author of The New York Times best-selling book My Vanishing Country: A Memoir, which has been described as part memoir, part historical and cultural analysis – illustrating the lives of America’s forgotten black working-class men and women. He has also expanded his audience with the Bakari Sellers Podcast, a twice-a-week show part of The Ringer Podcast Network that addresses a variety of topics from politics, race, sports, media, the presidential campaign, and much more.

Sellers currently practices law with the Strom Law Firm, LLC in Columbia, where he heads the firm’s strategic communication and public affairs team and has recently added diversity, equity, and inclusion consulting to the list of services offered. He is also a prominent political contributor for CNN.

In addition to his impressive list of early accomplishments, Sellers served on President Barack Obama’s South Carolina steering committee during the 2008 election. That coupled with his uncommon ability to reach across the aisle and get things done has led to numerous accolades including being named to TIME Magazine’s “40 Under 40” in 2010 as well as 2014’s “The Root 100” list of the nation’s most influential African-Americans. Sellers has been a much sought after public speaker and has provided political and social commentary and analysis on many major national news outlets.

He has served as a featured speaker at events for the National Education Association, College Democrats of America National Convention, NAACP, the 2008 Democratic National Convention and, in 2007, delivered the opening keynote address to the AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC.

Sellers is married to his wife Dr. Ellen Rucker-Sellers and father to twins Sadie and Stokely.


View the 2023 Policy & Issues Forum Conference Schedule

View the 2023 Policy & Issues Forum Education Sessions At-A-Glance

View the 340B Day Agenda.

Housing is now OPEN! Click here for more information and to reserve your room. 

Questions? Email conferences@nachc.com or call 301-347-0400.

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User Group Meetings at the P&I Forum

Below is the schedule of user group meetings being held at the 2023 Policy & Issues Forum. Separate registration is required with limited space. Register here.

Wednesday, March 8:
9:00am – 10:00am – NACHC athenaOne User Group
11:00am – 12:00pm – NACHC eClinicalWorks User Group

Thursday, March 9:
11:30am – 12:30pm – NACHC athenaPractice/athenaFlow User Group
2:30pm – 3:30pm – NACHC NextGen User Group


NACHC Conference Code of Conduct

All attendees, speakers, sponsors, and volunteers at our conference are required to agree with the following code of conduct. NACHC will enforce this code throughout the event. We expect cooperation from all participants to help ensure a safe environment for everybody.

Our conference is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, or religion. We do not tolerate harassment of conference participants in any form. This also includes inappropriate physical contact and unwelcome sexual attention. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate for any conference venue, including talks, workshops, social events, Twitter and other online media. Participants asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately. Conference participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from the conference without a refund at the discretion of NACHC.

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the conference staff immediately.

NACHC is a nonpartisan and noncommercial organization. Conference speaker presentations may not necessarily reflect the views of NACHC and the presence of vendors, exhibitors and sponsors does not constitute endorsement of their respective products or services.


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