More than one hundred leaders from free clinics and charitable provider organizations in Ohio descended upon Columbus last week for the CHN’s Annual Safety-Net Symposium. The event’s theme of “Inspiring Healthy Communities” personified the two-day affair beginning with a celebration of the 2023 Free Clinic Appreciation Month award winners. As part of Free Clinic Appreciation Month each year in December, CHN and the Ohio Department of Health recognize the accomplishments of Ohio's free clinics with award presentations in 8 categories. If you didn’t have a chance to attend the Symposium, please take a look at the videos highlighting this year’s winners.
- Free Clinic Nurse of the Year - Kathy Magee, CNP, LifeCare Alliance Columbus Cancer Clinic
- Free Clinic Pharmacist of the Year - Kendra Donnelly, PharmD, Rising Suns Pharmacy
- Community Partner of the Year - Anthony Mougianis, Apollo Pro Cleaning & Restoration in partnership with the Ohio Valley Health Center
- Clinic of the Year - Grace Clinics of Ohio
- Free Clinic Staff of the Year - Elvira Gomez, St. Vincent de Paul Charitable Pharmacy
- Free Clinic Volunteer of the Year - Jessica Sciuva, Columbus Free Clinic
- Free Clinic Dentist of the Year - Shanetta Sutton, DDS, Good Neighbor House
- Free Clinic Physician of the Year - Richard Paat, MD, CommunityCare Free Medical Clinic
On Thursday, a host of speakers provided educational updates to support free clinics and charitable providers in Ohio, including sessions on capacity building, cultural competence, partnership, grant readiness, prescription services, and more! At the Annual Meeting, CHN Board Chair Isi Green honored departing Board Members, Capri Cafaro, MSW, LSW of Cognitive Organics, and Sue Myer, MD from Faithful Servants Care Center. Joel Kessel of Kessel Strategies, Linda Smith-Berry from Good Samaritan Free Health Center, and Denise Lucas, PhD, PNP-CB, FAANP from Duquesne University were all elected to a second three-year term. Isi also congratulated the winners of the CHN board elections, Arun Majumdar from Accenture Strategy & Consulting, Andy Priday, CPA, FACHE, MHA, MAcc from Mount Carmel Health System, and Jackiethia Butsch, C-CHW, C-CP, AE-C from The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
CHN Executive Director Jason Koma shared a CHN update on the value of care in our network in 2023 and discussed CHN’s vision for the future of the health care safety-net in Ohio. The day began with McKenzie Davis, a lobbyist with the Success Group, providing a keynote presentation on how to be an advocate for your organization. We finalized the day with regional discussions, brainstorming how to navigate patient load, recruiting volunteers, health policy, and funding.A huge thank you to all who joined us, especially our sponsors:
- Cardinal Health
- Americares
- Anthem Blue Shield Blue Cross
- Humana
- Ohio Association of Foodbanks
- Group Management Services (GMS)
- Ohio Department of Children and Youth
Finally, we want to hear from the attendees, speakers, and exhibitors about your experience at the symposium. Whether it is the venue, food, or overall experience, please take this quick survey to submit your feedback so we can host better events in the future.
