Apr/06 Apr/07
par policy conference/2021
virtual
Sponsorships offer the opportunity for your organization to be highlighted as a key supporter of the PAR Policy Conference. This event wouldn't be a success without the help of your generous contributions! If you are interested in sponsoring, email kammi@par.net for more information.
Thank you sponsors
Legislative Panel Sponsor InVision Human Services
Mobile Conference App Sponsor Valley Community Services
Tuesday Keynote Sponsor Partners For Quality
Tuesday Lunch Sponsor Lakeshore Community Services, Inc.
Policy Conference Sponsor Trinity Asset Protection
Zoom Technology Sponsor Keystone Human Services
Mark Davis President & CEO, PAR 9:00 a.m. - 9:45 a.m. | Opening
Wednesday Lunch Sponsor Fayette Resources, Inc.
Tuesday Keynote Sponsor Arlington Heritage Group
It’s hard to believe, but the second annual PAR Policy Conference is right around the corner! We are all struggling to survive the pandemic and there has been no greater time than now for our focused advocacy efforts. The coronavirus is expected to be with us for a while, even with the rollout of vaccines. The long-term impact from the pandemic is yet to be seen. Attend the PAR Policy Conference and hear from a leading expert at the CDC, Deborah (Daisy) Christensen PhD, MPH, RN, CAPT, USPHS, Science Lead, Disproportionately Affected Populations Team, about the course of the pandemic. Our environment continues to be increasingly political. Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) services depend upon state and federal funding and are regulated by state and federal agencies. We need to develop our capacity to advocate effectively with our elected officials. Our conference is designed to bring you up to speed on hot topics in policy and advocacy and provide an opportunity to practice those skills by advocating directly to our legislators with virtual legislative visits. Our legislators and elected officials need to hear from us now more than ever and we need each stakeholder in the system to be informed and prepared to advocate! The 2021 PAR Policy Conference brings together a multitude of different speakers, plenary sessions, and panel presentations to provide you with information, innovative ideas, and unique approaches you can use to help resolve some of the challenges you are facing. Keynote speakers will include: Mary Sowers, Executive Director, National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS); PA State Representative, Jessica Benham; Meg Snead, DHS Secretary Nominee; Jen Swails, Budget Secretary. We encourage you to register your team to learn from each other and from leaders in the field, ask questions, develop your advocacy skills, and use them to help improve the lives of Pennsylvanians with Intellectual Disability and Autism!
This year's exhibitor experience will include a dedicated webpage on PAR's website featuring 30 minute exhibitor presentations that will live on PAR's Policy Conference webpage the entire month of April 2021. PAR's Policy Conference Exhibit Wall webpage allows each exhibitor to pre-record a 30 minute video available to view by PAR members, and also non-members. To secure your spot on the Policy Conference Exhibit Wall, email your completed form to kammi@par.net. Once your form is received, we will email instructions on how to submit your video.
Thank you, exhibitors, for supporting Par's 2021 policy conference!
Jen Swails joined Governor Wolf’s cabinet in January 2019 and brings to the position nearly 20 years of fiscal and policy experience at the commonwealth. Jen previously served the commonwealth in the Governor’s Office of the Budget, the Department of Human Services, and the Senate Democratic Appropriations Committee.
tuesday keynotes
Jessica Benham PA State Representative 11:00 a.m. - 11:30 a.m. | Sponsored by: Arlington Heritage Group
Meg Snead has been nominated to serve as the next Secretary of the Department of Human Services (DHS) effective April 30, 2021. Meg assumed the role of the governor’s secretary of policy and planning in December 2018. Most recently, Meg served as a deputy policy secretary liaising on all policy development between the Governor’s Office and the policy offices at the departments of Health, Human Services, Insurance, Drug and Alcohol Programs, and Aging.
Mary Sowers joined NASDDDS in 2014 and became the NASDDDS Executive Director on July 1, 2019. Before joining NASDDDS, Mary was with Mercer Government Human Services Consulting where she provided consultation and technical assistance to state governments on a wide array of Medicaid-related issues, with a focus on home and community-based services and managed long-term services and supports. Click here to learn more about Mary Sowers.
State Rep. Jessica Benham took office on a platform of fighting for the interests of residents in the 36th Legislative District and solving the critical problems that her constituents face: lack of access to quality health care and to economic opportunity, poor air and water quality, and failing infrastructure. Benham’s background is in advocacy for health care, education and worker’s rights, with experience advocating for legislation on the federal, state and local levels. Click here to learn more about Jessica Benham.
Jen Swails Budget Secretary 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Mary sowers Executive Director, National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) 10:00 a.m. - 11:00 a.m. | Sponsored by: Partners For Quality
Meg Snead DHS Secretary Nominee 11:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
Steven albrecht
Jennifer Skelly
Margaret Rothenberger
Tuesday Concurrent sessions - B 2:15 - 3:15 pm
Donna Martin
Laura Cipriani
Kathy Carmody
Kristin ahrens
A-1 ODP Policies and the Impact on Providing High Quality Supports to Individuals with ID/A Speakers: Jeremy Yale, Director of the Bureau of Policy and Quality Management, Office of Developmental Programs; Steven Albrecht, Chief Executive Officer, LCARC; Margaret Rothenberger, President and CEO, Partners For Quality Join Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) Bureau Director of Policy and Quality Management Jeremy Yale and PAR members for a discussion on ODP policies and how they impact staff and the ability to provide high quality support to individuals with ID/A. A-2 Policy Trends Speakers: Mark Davis, President and CEO, PAR; Kristin Ahrens, Deputy Secretary of the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) In this session, Mark Davis will provide insight into trends in federal and state policy that will shape the future of the ID/A system and possibilities for people with ID/A for decades to come. Kristin Ahrens, Deputy Secretary of the Office of Developmental Programs, will join the second half of this session to provide updates on ODP initiatives. A-3 Moving toward Person-Centered Quality Metrics Speaker: Donna Martin, M.Ed., Director for State Partnerships and Special Projects, ANCOR Participants will leave with a deeper understanding of the myriad of quality measure sets currently available and differentiate between those that are germane to issues of importance in Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD) service delivery and those that are less impactful. Participants will also acquire an understanding of the role of quality measures in the emerging paradigm of Value-Based Purchasing in I/DD services. This session will discuss the following: An overview of the available quality measures sets relative to home and community-based services (HCBS). Key recommendations ANCOR believes are important to include to ensure that quality measures in HCBS are reflective of personal outcomes and not just process or compliance. How Quality Measures intersect with Value-based Purchasing and why this is important.
Gary smith
Mark Davis
Andrea Consigny
Daisy Christensen
Jeremy Yale
B-1 ODP and PAR Member Panel: Innovations in Employment First Speakers: Laura Cipriani, Policy Supervisor, Bureau of Policy and Quality Management, Office of Developmental Programs; Gary Smith, Statewide Employment Lead, Office of Developmental Programs; Jennifer Skelly, Director of PA Programs, Penn-Mar Human Services; Andrea Consigny, Division Director, Employment and Community Participation Services, SPIN; Judy Dotzman, Executive Director, SPIN In this joint panel with the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and PAR provider members, attendees will hear updates from Laura Cipriani and Gary Smith from ODP and discuss new practices in Employment First, such as the use of virtual employment services during the COVID-19 pandemic and transforming workshops. PAR provider members Jennifer Skelly, Penn-Mar Human Services and Andrea Consigny, SPIN, will then share what they are doing to innovate and enhance employment services. Judy Dotzman, co-chair of the Employment First Committee, will then moderate a Q&A session with ODP, the panel members, and attendees. B-2 Alternative Payment Models Speakers: Kathy Carmody, Chief Executive Officer, Institute on Public Policy for People with Disabilities; Mark Davis, President and CEO, PAR; Donna Martin, M.Ed., Director for State Partnerships and Special Projects, ANCOR The co-chairs and staff lead of the ANCOR Alternative Payment Model (APM) Workgroup will discuss the implementation of the recommendations contained in the workgroup’s 2019 report Advancing Value & Quality in Medicaid Service Delivery for Individuals with IDD. The workgroup identified systems as emerging best practices/incubators for ideas that may influence national thought on Intellectual and Developmental Disability (I/DD) alternative payment models. Members of the ANCOR APM Workgroup studied APMs in Vancouver, Arkansas, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and Wisconsin. The purpose of this work was to study each locale’s IDD system, APM and vision for the future. Workgroup members talked with individuals with ID/A, family members, providers, state leadership staff, managed care organizations, legislators, and other key stakeholders. The primary goal was to identify what may be scalable in other states in whole or in part. The objective of the APM Workgroup was to understand what each locale is currently doing and what they plan to do in the future. This will help us prepare for the next catastrophe or significant disruption to our lives and system and will inform our thinking on the future sustainability of our system nationally. B-3 CDC Experience and Perspective on the Impact of, and Mitigation Strategies for, the Coronavirus Pandemic among People with ID/A Speaker: Daisy Christensen PhD MPH RN, CAPT, USPHS, Science Lead, Disproportionately Affected Populations Team, CI/CP Task Force, CDC COVID-19 Response This session presented by the CDC will touch on the experience and perspective on the impact of, and mitigation strategies for, the coronavirus pandemic among people with ID/A, their supports and DSPs. The session will also provide updates about vaccine hesitancy mitigation strategies for the same population, and people from communities of color.
Judy Dotzman
Tuesday Concurrent sessions - A 1:00 - 2:00 pm
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Tuesday Legislative panel 3:30 - 4:30 pm Sponsored by: InVision Human Services
9:00 a.m. - 9:30 a.m. Welcome & Introduction to the Virtual Hill Day Speaker: Mark Davis, President and CEO, PAR Welcome to PAR’s first-ever Virtual Hill Day! We will kick off the day with a welcome and introduction followed by a prep session. Thanks to technology, we can still meet with and advocate to our legislators and their staff in a virtual world. Connecting our members with your legislators is a critical part of our advocacy for funding for ID/A services so we strongly encourage you to participate if you are able! 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. Prep for Virtual Hill Visits Speakers: Mark Davis, President and CEO, PAR; Nick Kratz, Senior Associate, Capital Associates LLC If you have never met with a legislator before, or you aren’t sure what to ask for, don’t worry! During this session you will be briefed on the basics of legislative meetings and a typical virtual legislative meeting, PAR’s talking points, how to make an advocacy ask, and more. 10:30 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Virtual Hill Visits It’s time to put your new advocacy knowledge to use! During this time attendees will most likely have 1-2 legislative virtual visits with legislators. You will hear from PAR staff prior to the conference with your individual schedule. 1:30 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. Debrief Join the PAR Policy Team for a debrief to provide feedback on your thoughts from the 2021 Policy Conference and your legislative visits. We look forward to hearing the results of your legislative meetings and having a discussion around strengthening our advocacy moving forward!
Guidebook allows you learn more about speakers by reading speaker biols, keep track of schedules, share on social media, and more, all with a simple tap. No password required and is free to download! Get started by following two easy steps: Search "Guidebook" on the Apple Store or Google Play. Tap "download" to get the FREE guidebook app!
Representative Frank Farry Majority Chair House Human Services Committee
Senator Michele Brooks Majority Chair Senate Health and Human Services Committee
2021 PAR Policy Conference - Virtual
Join us for this informative discussion by a panel of legislative insiders about issues affecting Human Services from the Federal and State budgets, COVID-19, ID/A system reform, and the future of legislative engagement on these important issues. You will have the opportunity to interact with the panelists, ask questions and participate in a robust discussion about the needs of the ID/A community working in partnership with legislative leaders for the benefit of providers, individuals with ID/A and their families. In the event of voting, speakers may be replaced by staff. Additional Legislators and staff will be joining!
Representative Angel Cruz Democratic Chair House Human Services Committee
Liana Walters, Esq. Legislative Director for Senator Art Haywood Senate Health and Human Services Committee
PAR social
Mobile Conference App Sponsor: Valley Community Services
GM meeting
Wednesday schedule of events
#PAR #PARPolicy2021 #SupportMeSupportDSPs
Not pictured: Caleb Sisak, Executive Director, House Human Services Committee
mini General Membership Meeting - Members Only Wednesday / 2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Join us for a mini members-only General Membership Meeting! You will hear updates from PAR President & CEO, Mark Davis, and other PAR Staff.
Tag PAR in your conference posts and use this year's conference hashtags!
We are so glad to offer our conference app, Guidebook, again this year!
Virtual Hill Day registration
attendee pricing
Registration for the Virtual Hill Day is included in your Policy Conference registration. Please be sure to indicate whether you are available to meet a legislator virtually on Wednesday, April 7, between 10:30 a.m. and 1:00 p.m. PAR staff will reach out to attendees’ legislators to schedule virtual visits with the legislator and/or their staff. These meetings are typically 30 minutes via Zoom. If multiple attendees have the same legislator, PAR will seek to schedule one meeting with the legislator at a time that works for all of the attendees. Most meetings will have a PAR staff person present to help facilitate as well. Connecting our members with their legislators is a critical part of our advocacy for funding for ID/A services so we strongly encourage you to participate if you are able! Please register by Friday, March 26 to ensure that PAR has ample time to reach out to your legislator(s) for a meeting. While we can’t guarantee your legislator’s availability, the more time we have to reach out for you the better!
Policy Conference registration
PAR Member
Price
PAR Member Full Conference (Tuesday & Wednesday)
$175
PAR Member Single Day (Tuesday OR Wednesday)
$120
Non PAR Member
Non PAR Member Full Conference (Tuesday & Wednesday)
$350
Non PAR Member Single Day (Tuesday OR Wednesday)
$250
Family Member/Self Advocate
Family Member and/or Self Advocate Full Conference (Tuesday & Wednesday)
$99
Family Member and/or Self Advocate Single Day Tuesday OR Wednesday)
$79
Lunch included for all attendees! More info to come!
To register for the 2021 PAR Policy Conference, visit www.par.net/ppconf-2021. If you have any questions about registration, please contact the PAR office at (717) 236-2374 or email par@par.net. The PAR Policy Conference is open to EVERYONE! PAR Members, non-members, and anyone who has an interest in supporting individuals with intellectual disability and autism.
Continuing Education Available! PAR is offering the following Continuing Education (CE) credits free of charge to conference attendees* (pending agency approval). If you are planning on receiving credit for any of the CEs listed below, please indicate so on your registration form. Packets will be emailed to registrants. Certificates of Participation, which can fulfill agency and regulatory requirements, will also be available to registrants. PAR has submitted the 2021 PAR Policy Conference to the following accreditation agencies for approval: State Board of Accountancy Approved! National Association of Social Workers (NASW), PA Chapter Approved! NASW-PA Chapter is a co-sponsor of this workshop. 7.5 CEs will be awarded for completion of this course. NASW has been designated as a pre-approved provider of professional continuing education for social workers (Section 47.36), Marriage and Family Therapist (Section 48.36) and Professional Counselors (Section 49.36) by the PA State Board of Social Workers, Marriage & Family Therapists and Professional Counselors *Some CEs may include a fee to be paid directly to the accreditation agency. PAR does not charge any additional fees.