A PHIL Web Discussion: “Advancing Equity: Adapting to Local Context and Confronting Power Dynamics”
Join the Population Health Innovation Lab’s (PHIL) Division of Research and Network Science alongside representatives from Accountable Communities of/for Health (ACHs) in Washington and California on Thursday, June 2 for a special web discussion with expert panelists entitled “Advancing Equity: Adapting to Local Context and Confronting Power Dynamics. Lessons learned from Accountable Communities of/for Health.”
This discussion will feature recent research findings which answer the question, “How do local context and power dynamics influence an ACH’s ability to make progress toward improved equity?” It is intended for those interested in learning more about PHIL’s Aligning Systems for Health research, as well as on-the-ground practitioners interested in learning about effective strategies for advancing equity.
Key findings show the role local context and power dynamics play when ACHs specifically – and multisector collaboratives broadly – seek to improve equity. This discussion will be followed by a panel of experts from diverse ACHs across Washington and California who will share examples of how they are adapting to local context, confronting power dynamics, and using concrete strategies to advance equity in their communities.
Presentation Objectives:
After participating in this web discussion, attendees will be able to:
- Identify at least one new strategy for advancing equity that can be implemented in their community.
- Describe how local context and power dynamics influence an ACH’s ability to advance equity.
- Communicate the importance of keeping local context and power dynamics in mind when doing multisector work.
Meet Our Presenters
ACH Representatives
Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Wellness Collaborative
Chief Executive Officer, North Sound ACH
Assistant Director of Health Integration, Better Health Together
Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, HealthierHere
Population Health Innovation Lab Staff
Director of Research and Network Science, PHIL
Research Associate I, PHIL
Director, PHIL
Program Manager, PHIL
ACH Presenter Bios
Dr. Susan McLaughlin, Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, HealthierHere
Dr. Susan McLaughlin is the founding Executive Director and CEO of HealthierHere, a non-profit, multi-sector collaborative dedicated to eliminating health disparities in King County through collective action. HealthierHere is the contracted Accountable Community of Health for the region. She has over twenty years of experience in health, behavioral health and social services as a clinician, researcher, and policy administrator. Prior to HealthierHere, Susan was the Health and Human Services Administrator at the King County Department of Community and Human Services where she led multiple cross-system initiatives to improve service delivery in the region. Dr. McLaughlin has deep knowledge in managed care and the Medicaid program, evidence-based behavioral health interventions for children, youth and families, change management, and health and behavioral health policy. She has a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of California, San Diego/San Diego State University Joint Doctoral Program where she specialized in children, youth and families and the intersection between Child Welfare, Psychology and the Law.
Sarah Bollig Dorn, Assistant Director of Health Integration, Better Health Together
Sarah Bollig Dorn (she/her) is the Assistant Director of Health Integration at Better Health Together (BHT) in Spokane, WA. In this role, she oversees the cross-sector collaboration work of the Spokane Collaborative. She also manages regional partner contracts under the state’s CMS Medicaid Transformation Waiver, leads BHT’s Behavioral Health Forum and workforce initiatives, and oversees technical assistance for clinical and social determinant partners.
Before BHT, she worked in external relations on the Medicaid team at UnitedHealthcare in Eastern Washington. Prior to moving to Washington, she served first as a graduate assistant and then Manager of Health Policy & Education at the Health Policy Institute of Ohio (HPIO). At HPIO, she was co-author and contributor to publications including the 2016 Ohio State Health Assessment, HPIO’s Health Value Dashboard, and papers on tobacco prevention & cessation, population health planning, and ACA insurance marketplaces.
Sarah holds a Master’s in Public Administration from the John Glenn College of Public Affairs at The Ohio State University, where she was a University Fellow.
Katherine “Kitty” Bailey, Chief Executive Officer, San Diego Wellness Collaborative
Katherine “Kitty” Bailey is a nationally recognized healthcare leader with more than a decade of executive-level experience. She combines her business development skills, zest for innovation, and personal drive to help at-risk populations achieve health.
She was named the San Diego Wellness Collaborative’s first CEO in 2016 and has served as Executive Director of the Be There San Diego initiative since 2013. Under her leadership, Be There San Diego achieved significant growth and received numerous grant awards including a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation Healthcare Innovation award, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health award, and the California Accountable Community for Health Initiative award, which established the San Diego Accountable Community for Health.
The San Diego Wellness Collaborative recently launched Neighborhood Networks, an innovative business venture that links healthcare organizations with community-based organizations in an effort to address managed care members’ health-related social needs and address the social determinants of health.
Ms. Bailey has extensive leadership experience in building coalitions to address critical healthcare problems. Previously, she served as Vice President of Strategic Initiatives at North County Health Services, Executive Director at the San Diego County Medical Society Foundation, and Chief Operating Officer at the Colorado Community Health Network.
She earned a Bachelor’s degree from College of the Holy Cross and a Master’s in Social Work with an emphasis in Public Policy and Non-Profit Administration from the University of Denver. Ms. Bailey has been recognized for her work in the community and in 2019 was named the Reverend George Stevens “Trailblazer” Awardee by the United African Americans Ministerial Action Council for her work in advancing health equity.
Liz Baxter, Chief Executive Officer, North Sound ACH
Liz is CEO of the North Sound ACH, which works to advance equitable well-being, social justice and belonging across five counties in the northwest corner of Washington, which sit on the traditional homelands of the Coast Salish people.
Before joining North Sound ACH, Liz was Executive Director of the Oregon Public Health Institute (OPHI), with a mission to improve health, advance equity and respond to public health needs.
Liz also spent seven years as Executive Director of We Can Do Better, an Oregon nonprofit founded with former Oregon Governor John Kitzhaber, an organization that believes small groups of people can have great impact, creating opportunities for nonpartisan education and engagement, bringing people together who share the values of better health care and health for all.
Liz has spent her career in positions that build bridges between complex policy discussions and the public’s desire to understand and weigh in on these issues. She often plays the role of “translator” of technical knowledge for those who don’t live inside the policy world.
Liz is an innovative disruptor of policies and strategies, especially in creating spaces where power is shared, especially by those who most often have not had the experience of influencing decision makers. Liz has her undergraduate degree in social work, two years of graduate study in gerontology and a Masters in Public Health.
Marvin Avilez, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, VisualOps
Founder and CEO of VisualOps, Marvin is a serial entrepreneur, operations expert, and consultant in the development of numerous startups. He was COO at Social Amp and IN2, and led new media and product roles at Oracle, Apple and Macromedia. A former U.S. Marines Sergeant, Marvin is an active volunteer for a number of organizations, including Team Rubicon which unites the skills and experiences of military veterans with first responders to rapidly deploy emergency response teams.
Marvin is the Wellville advisor for Lake County, California.
