BETHESDA, MD, October 14, 2025—The National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) is taking center stage among healthcare industry leaders as a proud partner of choice at the HLTH USA conference at the Venetian Expo Center in Las Vegas (October 19-22nd). Community Health Centers (CHCs) serve up to 52 million patients or up to one in 7 across more than 17,000 locations. As the largest primary care system, CHCs have a workforce of over 326,000 and the buying power of $57B annually.1
At HLTH, visionary thought leaders and innovators in community health will drive critical conversations about CHCs’ vital role in delivering affordable, comprehensive, effective primary care that improves health outcomes and reduces costs across the healthcare system. The message is clear: CHCs are a proven solution and ideal partners in innovation.
“NACHC is grateful to partner with HLTH, Inc., and join a dynamic community of more than 12,000 leaders who are pioneers and change-makers representing various sectors across the health system,” said Dr. Rhee. “As we work together to design a more effective and coordinated health system with a foundation of trust, CHCs bring six decades of community trust and proven innovation to the table. Our model has consistently delivered comprehensive, patient-centered care to communities across the country, making CHCs not just participants in this conversation, but essential in shaping the future of healthcare.”
NACHC is hosting A Health For All Gallery on site at the HLTH conference. The gallery features digital displays of artwork that brings the powerful stories of CHCs and patients to life, celebrating themes such as food as medicine, healing from chronic disease, and building thriving communities. Media are invited to attend the opening reception. To RSVP visit this link.
We are excited for a slate of 10 dynamic educational sessions showcasing CHC leadership, partnerships and cutting-edge care delivery approaches, featuring executives from leading CHCs, health technology companies, and industry partners:
Sunday, October 19:
From Access to Innovation: The Future of Primary Care in Community Health Centers (1:00 to 3 pm)
Learn how CHCs are leading primary care innovation through integrated behavioral health and dental services, a patient-led governance model, a workforce of 330,000 professionals, and a $57 billion annual budget collectively.
Speakers:
- Nancy Bowen, CEO, Nevada Primary Care Association
- Johanna Liu, CEO, San Francisco Community Clinic Consortium
- Andrew Hamilton, Chief Informatics Officer and Deputy Director, AllianceChicago
- Moderator: Michael Taylor, CEO, Cornell Scott-Hill Health Center
The U.S. healthcare infrastructure is scrambling to figure out how to care for a population that’s living longer with multiple chronic conditions that require complex, coordinated care. Learn about innovative partnerships emerging between health systems, tech companies, and community organizations to create new models of care to keep aging populations healthier for longer.
Speakers:
- Jeron Ravin, JD, CEO, Swope Health Services
- Dr. Maria Ansari, MD, FACC, Co-CEO, The Permanent Federation
- Tracy Saula, SVP, Chief Product & Experience Officer, Highmark Health
- Dr. Brigham Hyde, PhD, Atropos Health
- Moderator: Lauren Dunning, JD, MPH, Director, Milken Institute for the Future of Aging
Value-Based Care Meets Community Innovation (2-3pm)
CHCs are uniquely positioned to lead in value-based care through deep community ties and innovative care models. Find out how strategic partnerships between CHC leaders and industry partners are driving value and improved health outcomes through integrated services and data-driven care delivery.
Speakers:
- Rachel Jones, MPA, Founder and CEO, Syntax
- Cheryl Lulias, President and CEO, Medical Home Network
- Julita Mir, Chief Medical Officer, DotHouse Health
- Aaron Todd, CEO, Iowa Primary Care Association
Monday, October 20:
AI for All: Empowering CHCs with Intelligent Solutions (8-9am)
This session explores how CHCs are adopting AI to revolutionize primary care, especially in rural communities. Hear real-world examples of AI integration in resource-constrained settings to reduce clinician burden, improve access, and enhance whole-person care. Learn how you can partner with CHCs and advance AI solutions can be scaled to align innovation with impact.
Speakers:
- Jeff Margolis, Chairman, Welltok, Inc.
- Alan Mitchell, Executive Director, HealthEfficient
- Merage Ghane, PhD, Director of Responsible AI in Health, CHAI
- Isaiah Nathaniel, CPHIMS, SVP & CIO, Delaware Valley Community Health Inc.
- Moderator: Kyu Rhee, MD, MPP, President & CEO, NACHC
Oral Health is Health (9-10am)
Within the context of comprehensive primary care and a trusted team to support the overall health of you, your family, and your community, CHCs are leading oral health integration into primary care with their network of over 22,000 dental health professionals who served 6.9 million patients in 2024. Learn how CHCs are partners of choice and are scaling innovative technology and hyper-local partnerships to expand oral health access to millions of patients nationwide.
Speakers:
- Pamela Oren-Artzi, Co-Founder and COO, Grin
- Leslie Carver, COO CareQuest
- An Nguyen, DDS, Chief Dental Officer, Clinica Family Health
- Moderator: Cheryl Parker, Executive Director, NNOHA
Picking Up Uncle Sam’s Slack (11:55am-12:35pm, Kairos Stage)
The private sector is proving that innovation doesn’t have to stop in an era of fiscal restraint. Can private funding and industry collaboration truly replace the stable, long-term federal investment? Hopefully this funding crisis becomes a catalyst for more collaborative research and not another example of how external pressures can derail scientific priorities.
Speakers:
- Kyu Rhee, MD, MPH, President and CEO, NACHC
- Heath Naquin, VP, Government & Capital Engagement, University City Science Center
- Dr. Karen Knudsen, MBA PhD, CEO, Parker Institute for Cancer Immunotherapy
- Cara James, President & CEO, Grantmakers In Health
- Moderator: Dr. Nicole Roberts, DrPH, Contributor, Forbes
Tuesday, October 21:
TechQuity in Action: Partnering with CHCs to Advance Health for All (3-3:40pm)
CHCs are leading primary care innovation through integrated behavioral health and dental services, a patient-led governance model, a workforce of approximately 330,000 professionals, and a $50 billion annual budget collectively. Learn how CHCs are solving for complexity through pioneering scalable, community-rooted innovations and leveraging strategic partnerships to co-design and implement technologies that improve outcomes for underserved populations.
Speakers:
- Taylor McPartland, CEO, ScaleHealth
- Dr. Meera Mani, Partner, TownHall Ventures
- Isaiah Nathaniel, CPHIMS, SVP & CIO, Delaware Valley Community Health Inc
- Moderator: Andrew Hamilton, CIO, Alliance Chicago
A Value-Based Symphony of Primary Care (10:15-10:55am, Kairos Stage)
Primary care was supposed to be the conductor of value-based care, coordinating all aspects of patient health. But as healthcare fragments into consumer apps, cash-pay clinics, retail health outlets, and direct-to-consumer services, primary care providers are discovering that being fully accountable for patient outcomes is nearly impossible. Value-based care approaches that coordinate patient health and generate better health outcomes at a time.
Speakers:
- Luis Padilla, MD, Chief Health Officer, NACHC
- Emily Brower, MBA, President and CEO, NAACOS
- Feby Abraham, PhD, Executive VP, Chief Strategy Officer, Memorial Hermann
- Sean Mehra, Founder & CEO, HealthTap
- Moderator: Nancy Brown, General Partner, Oak HC/FT
Not Hard to Reach, Just Easy to Ignore (1:50-2:30pm)
Learn how leaders are working tirelessly to create a new reality where care gaps close through effective partnership models, utilizing virtual care, and tackling perverse incentives that plague our system. How can we reexamine our approach to innovation to ensure it serves everyone, not just those who can afford it?
Speakers:
- Dr. Halima Ahmadi-Montecalvo, PhD, MPH, VP, Research and Evaluation, Unite Us
- Deborah Glasser, Head, Specialty Care, N America, US Lead, Sanofi US
- Nima Roohi Sefidmazgi, PhD, CEO & Co-Founder, Blooming Health
- Karley Yoder, CEO Comprehensive Care Ultrasound, GE HealthCare
- Moderator: Sonja Bachus, BBA, MJ, CHCEF, Chief Experience Officer, National Association of Community Health Centers
Wednesday, October 22:
Innovation at the Edge: How CHCs Are Leading Food as Medicine (9-9:40am)
Since the first CHC was founded in 1965, access to affordable, nutritious foods – and food “prescriptions” have been core to the CHC model of comprehensive primary care. Discover how CHCs can be ideal partners for piloting innovative and scalable solutions for food as medicine.
Speakers:
- Stockton Neighborhood Health Center, TBA
- Milo Krastev, Co-Founder and EVP of Growth, Foodsmart
- Julia Liou, CEO, Asian Health Services
- Moderator: Camila Silva, Director of Innovation, NACHC
About NACHC
NACHC’s mission is to champion Community Health Centers delivering affordable, effective, comprehensive primary care that is community-driven and improves health for all.