Joining Health Centers at the California Primary Care Association Conference

Connecting with partner health centers

GBA was once again present at the annual California Primary Care Association Conference in Sacramento. We participate every year as this conference lets us personally connect with far away partner health centers and providers. It is a gift to speak face to face with the dedicated healthcare providers who work with us year-round through conference calls and e-mail threads.

Many of our partners also got to see the faces behind the calls as GBA Project Managers Rosali Delgado, Becky Bindernagel, Katie Strautman, and Alan Sheckter attended to represent us. We caught up on current projects and discussed future plans while getting to know each other personally.

Keeping up with changing needs

Another reason GBA attends this conference is that it serves as an important gauge of our clients’ most pressing needs. Every year, the organizers focus on some of the most salient issues affecting health centers and their patients. Being aware of these concerns is crucial for us to provide the best guidance we can for our partners in the upcoming year. This helps us determine what sort of initiatives health centers will be focusing on, and therefore which types of grantmakers they will need to reach out to.

By keeping track of the latest in California policy, leadership, and clinical innovations, GBA can strategize on how to better help our partner health centers reach their goals.

This year, conversations revolved around the issues of delivering healthcare to migrant populations of different statuses. Health centers shared challenges faced when reaching out to these patients. Another important and overarching topic was that of modernizing the technology that helps health centers operate. Workshops like “Technology Models to Enable Community Based Whole Person Care,” “Making eHealth Relevant,” and “Translating Data” took a forefront during the conference.

We are grateful to the California Primary Care Association for organizing a space to connect and learn from each other. We are also grateful to the health center leaders who approached our team to learn about us. Of course, a special thank you to our long-time partners who made the time to meet with us during the conference, it is always a pleasure.