Virginia Health Care Association | Virginia Center for Assisted Living

Legislative Conference

January 31-February 1, 2024

 
VHCA-VCAL’s 2024 Legislative Conference includes a great lineup of speakers. You’ll hear the latest from key state health agency leaders along with valuable insights on the state and national political environments.
This is a can’t miss event to stay up to date on the legislative and regulatory issues affecting Virginia’s long term care providers.
The conference also includes dedicated time for you to visit with your delegate and senator to discuss issues like Medicaid reimbursement and workforce needs.

 

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Featured Speakers

Holsworth Portrait

Dr. Bob Holsworth

DecideSmart

Porter portrait

Clif Porter

AHCA-NCAL

Secretary Littel

Sec. John Littel

Health and Human Resouces

Karen Shelton

Dr. Karen Shelton

State Health Commissioner

Danny Avula

Dr. Danny Avula

DSS Commissioner

Cheryl Roberts

Cheryl Roberts

DMAS Director

Dr. David Doré

VCCS Chancellor

Schedule of Events

calendar

Wednesday
1/31

7:30 – 8:30 am

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 am

Legislative Update

Keith Hare | VHCA-VCAL
Steve Ford | VHCA-VCAL
Scott Johnson | Partner | Hancock Daniel
April Payne | VHCA-VCAL

VHCA-VCAL’s lobbying team and issue experts will brief you on legislation and state budget issues affecting operations in nursing centers and assisted living communities. This briefing will prepare you to meet with your legislators so you can share your input on various bills and discuss how their policy decisions will affect your center.

9:30 – 10:00 am

Advocacy in Action

Abigail T. Floyd | Vice President, MWC Advocacy | McGuireWoods Consulting, LLC
Amy Hewett, CAE | Vice President of Strategy and Communications | VHCA-VCAL

Your voice is powerful and can help us shape what policymakers and legislators think about long term care. Learn how your active participation in our grassroots advocacy can contribute to the discussion and grow your influence as a health care leader. This briefing will update you on VHCA-VCAL’s latest grassroots advocacy activities and identify ways you can support them.

10:00 – 11:45 am

Legislator Meetings | Transportation to the General Assembly Building provided.

Visit your delegate and senator at the new General Assembly building.

  • Schedule your appointments before coming to Richmond.

11:45 – 12:45 pm

Lunch

12:45 – 1:45 pm

2024 Virginia Political Outlook

Robert Holsworth, PhD | Managing Principal | DecideSmart

Renowned political expert Dr. Bob Holsworth will review the 2023 Virginia election results, which remade the General Assembly following the nonpartisan redistricting. He will share his insights on how the remade legislature will work with Gov. Glenn Youngkin in the remaining two years in his term.

1:45 – 2:15 pm

Perspectives from Virginia’s Health Policy Leaders

The Honorable John E. Littel | Secretary of Health & Human Resources

With oversight of 12 state agencies providing vital services to Virginians, Secretary Littel will discuss the priorities of Gov. Glenn Youngkin’s administration to support needs of the aging community and their caregivers.

2:15 – 2:30 pm

Break

2:30 – 4:00 pm

Perspectives from Virginia’s Health Agency Leaders

Karen Shelton, MD | State Health Commissioner | VDH
Danny TK Avula, MD | Commissioner | Department of Social Services (DSS)
Tara Davis | Division Director for Licensing Programs | DSS
Cheryl Roberts | Director | Department of Medical Assistance Services (DMAS)

The leaders of Virginia’s health agencies responsible for key programs like facility licensure, surveys, and inspections, health professions, and Medicaid, which affect long term care providers, will share their priorities and goals.

4:00 pm

VHCA-VCAL Board of Directors’ Meeting

6:00 – 7:30 pm

Reception

Invite your legislators to join us for this networking event.

calendar

Thursday
2/01

7:30 – 8:30 am

Registration and Continental Breakfast

8:30 – 9:30 am

Healthcare Workforce Well-Being

Corey Feist, JD, MBA | Founder / Chief Executive Officer | Dr. Lorna Breen Heroes’ Foundation

Health care professionals have long experienced high levels of stress and burnout, and COVID-19 only exacerbated the problem. While helping their patients fight for their lives, many health care professionals are coping with their own trauma of losing patients and colleagues and fear for their own health and safety. Health systems across the country are searching for practical, commonsense approaches to healthcare workforce well-being. Feist will discuss some of the approaches to protect the mental health of health workers.

9:30 – 10:30 am

Perspective from Washington DC: 2024 Legislative and Regulatory Outlook

Clif Porter | Senior Vice President, Government Relations | AHCA/NCAL

Clif Porter will discuss the latest happenings in Washington DC with the potential to impact long term care providers across the country. As we head into another national election year, Porter will review the stakes in the closing year of the first term of the Biden Administration and how it cooperates (or not) with a divided Congress.

10:30 – 10:45 am

Break

10:45 – 12:00 pm

Partnering to Tackle Workforce Development

David Doré, EdD | Chancellor | Virginia’s Community College System
Carrie Roth | Director | Virginia Department of Workforce Development and Advancement

There are numerous resources and supports available to long term care providers to help them train and develop their current and future caregivers. Two leading Virginia experts will share insights on how providers, the Virginia community college system, and state workforce programs can partner to address health care workforce shortages and identify meaningful solutions like registered apprenticeships.

Legislator Visits

The Legislative Conference is timed to give you the opportunity to meet with your delegate and senator in the General Assembly while they are in session. Following a briefing from the VHCA-VCAL lobbying team, the agenda includes time for you to visit their offices to discuss priorities like Medicaid reimbursement, staffing, and other legislation affecting nursing centers and assisted living communities.

We recommend that you try to schedule your appointments in advance for a time between 10:00 – 11:30 am on January 31, 2024. General Assembly members’ offices are located in the newly renovated General Assembly Building at 201 N. 9th Street in Richmond, just a few blocks from the Omni Richmond Hotel. If you need help contacting your delegate or senator, contact Amy Hewett at (804) 212-1691.

 

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