Task force on Spring 2003 Conference

Sponsorship
The conference is to be sponsored by units at SSU and SRJC. After discussions, other possible co-sponsors may be contacted.

Dates
The Cooperage at SSU is being held for the dates and times below, pending follow-up to completion of SSU form “Request for Use of Facilities and Services”. The dates chosen were the only appropriate weekend left open.

• Friday, May 9th – Pre-Conference Events – 10am – 4pm
• Friday evening – Keynote Speaker(s) – 7-9:30
• Saturday, May 10th – Conference – 9am – 5pm

Location
The Cooperage space fully opened can allow for participation of about 300. The total space can be one large room or can break-up the total space into three rooms (allowing up to three events at a time) (by way of two large sliding walls). The fully open space at the Cooperage can handle a round table formation (tables for 8-10 participants). This formation can build in a part of the conference time for at-table.


General Subjects – Some Ideas

• Humane approach to cost containment
  • Prevention, early intervention, health promotion, health education, plan education, medical care cost offset effect +
  • Sonoma County health services utilization analysis leading to more appropriate contracting
  • Active collaborations among health plans – in dialogue with the purchasers-stakeholders
    
• Overall plan redesign – for quality and cost-control
  • Kuehl bill (to be proposed in January); the UC President’s Office/California State research finding called “Nine Options”
  • Potential cost-effective cooperation among the two main HMOs, in dialogue with the stakeholders/purchasers
  • Integrating children’s health care coverage in Sonoma County (also potentially in the next category)
    
• Public schools collective bargaining report(s) and thinking
  • What’s been learned; what’s been done; what remains top priority
    
• “Roundtable - Grow your own”
  • Strategic planning and academic articulation in seeking, training, and retaining health care personnel for Sonoma County

Possible Keynote Speakers
Some conference speakers mentioned/suggested so far: The Governor of Vermont, the only M.D. Governor; Senator Sheila Kuehl (or her representative); Representative Lynn Woolsey; Bob Schultz, M.D., chief medical officer at Kaiser, Santa Rosa; Senator Wes Chesboro; Tom Moore; Dr. Ellen Shaffer; Dr. Patricia Mullen; Bleys Rose; Bob Sherrill; Albert Lowey-Ball