The Seventeenth Statewide Conference, themed “Brighter Together,” was a multidisciplinary conference between physical health, mental health and substance use disorder treatment systems that took place at the Hilton Los Angeles/Universal City on April 21 and 22.
Formerly known as the Integrated Care Conference, the two-day event provided plenary sessions and workshops to participants from academia, industry and government, promoting partnerships and sharing knowledge. The conference is a collaboration between the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health (LACDMH), the Los Angeles County Departments of Health Services and Public Health, UCLA Integrated Substance Use & Addiction Programs, LACDMH + UCLA Public Mental Health Partnership, and the California Department of State Hospitals.
The plenary talks on day one were “Housing, Health and Hope” by Heidi Behforouz, M.D., LACDMH’s Chief Medical Officer for Los Angeles County’s Homeless Services and Housing; and “Possibility through Purpose: The Road to Workforce Wellness” by Jeremy Segall, Chief Wellness Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals and Charmaine Dorsey, LCSW, Chief Wellness Officer for Los Angeles County’s Department of Health Services.
Day two featured a panel discussion, themed “Supporting Adolescent Behavioral Health in California: Challenges and Emerging Opportunities.” The panel featured Howard Padwa, Ph.D., health services and qualitative researcher at UCLA’s Integrated Substance Abuse Programs; Rachel Castaneda, Ph.D., Research Psychologist and Professor at the Azusa Pacific University Department of Psychology; Toby Guevin, Program Manager for the Health & Wellness Division of Nevada County’s Public Health Department; Erica Reynoso, Ph.D., LCSW, Mental Health Program Manager III; Joseph Rao, freelance filmmaker for Perseverance Studio; and, Scott Hunter, M.D., LACDMH Health Psychiatrist.
